NO.024

$9.6 MILLION UPGRADE OF CRONULLA SHARKS STADIUM

The Government is today announcing a grant of $9.6m to upgrade the surrounds and stadium which is home to the Cronulla Sharks in the Sutherland Shire.

The Park has been built exclusively from investment by the members of Cronulla Sutherland Leagues Club Limited without Council, State or Federal Grants.

In order to continue to have a complying stadium for disability access and building standards the stadium needs substantial upgrading.

The Federal Government is to provide $9.6m in 2005-06, and the Directors of the Cronulla Sutherlands Leagues Club will provide up to $800 000 for this project.

The grant will enable the upgrade of the facility to a complying, multi-function centre that improves access for a range of people in the community and improves community access.

The venue must provide equitable access and amenity for its patrons, comply with the Building Code of Australia and other statutory regulations and the upgrade will:

• Deliver an equitable access facility through the provision of a new lift to the ET Stand, compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act for the equitable distribution of covered and concourse seating, new level path around the whole field of play and upgraded amenities.
• Improve patron safety and security by installing additional fixed seating to complete the concourse seating around the field of play, creating more covered seats, creating new entry plazas to the east of west of the facility including new ticketing booths, secure entry points leading to new defined circulation paths, new PA system, public area lighting upgrades and a closed circuit TV system.
• Environmental improvements to the west side of the facility by removing the old structures and establishing a riparian zone for the protected mangrove stormwater channel, shoring up the plaza area to stop erosion of the bank, creating one new access bridge from the western carpark to minimise intrusion through the mangroves, creation of a water reuse initiative to collect stormwater from the facilities for use in field irrigation, installation of a solar array on the grandstand roofs to assist in reducing energy consumption from non-renewable energy sources, to improve the family hill area to stop erosion of the bank into Woollooware Bay.
• Community improvements to create a multi-function facility through the provision of community meeting and function rooms, additional parking facilities on the western side for use by venue hirers, Sutherland Shire Council for special event and beach overflow parking, and for major city event parking and bus shuttle.
• Amenity improvements for the community through rebuilding the dilapidated southern end fronting Captain Cook Drive.

The Federal Government’s grant to Toyota Park follows funding of $8m to Kogarah Oval in 2004, $10m towards the upgrade of Penrith Stadium in western Sydney in 2004, $8m to Whitten Oval in 2004, and $2m towards the Geelong Legends Sporting boulevard in 2004.

CRONULLA

21 April 2006