South West tender success for Dunsborough sports hub

A South West builder has been chosen to build Dunsborough’s new million-dollar sporting precinct project. The City of Busselton Council unanimously agreed last Wednesday to accept the tender from Leeuwin City to begin the process for the $1.175 million Dunsborough Lakes Sports Precinct. The proposed precinct will include four rectangle fields, two cricket fields and four multi-purpose outdoor courts in stage one, with future stages including a pavilion, change rooms and an indoor court facility. Mayor Grant Henley said the project was the No.1 priority in the City’s Sport and Recreational Facilities Strategy so it was exciting to see the first steps begin. “Dunsborough and Vasse are fast-growing areas and the need for additional playing space to meet current and future needs has long-been recognised,” he said. “People are, for the most part, very enthusiastic about these great new facilities. “They will be a welcome addition to our regional sports and recreational assets and a great investment in community health and wellbeing.” The $698,599 tender will see the site cleared and drainage, irrigation and turf installed at the site to increase opportunities for local contractors when construction begins. The precinct carpark and courts are planned for construction in late 2021, while the pavilion construction is planned for 2022. The precinct is being developed with local sporting groups and aims to bring opportunities to the Dunsborough community as a whole. At the time of the project’s announcement, Dunsborough Coasters Netball Club vice-president and life member Shaz Barratt said while netball would benefit from the proposed sports infrastructure, the Dunsborough community as a whole would also be positively affected. “Our facilities are not adequate for our community,” she said. “The move to the new suggested site would benefit all sports. “We need to be able to expand.” Vasse MLA Libby Mettam said a recent study indicated oval use in Dunsborough was between 1.5 and two times greater in comparison to sports in the Busselton sub-district, and participation was up more than 200 per cent since the previous upgrade in 2010-12.