Barclay Street Sportsground and Community pavilion opens to the public

The construction of Bega Valley Shire Council’s new Barclay Street Sportsground and Community pavilion in Eden was completed on time and before Christmas and is ready for public use, with a formal opening event planned for next year.

The new pavilion includes all abilities access, changerooms, a kitchen and kiosk, public toilets, clubrooms, community space and internal storage. The old sporting pavilion will be demolished in the new year.

Council’s Leisure and Recreation Manager, John Grady notes “the many sporting clubs and others in the community who use and value the playing grounds have dedicated themselves to working closely with us and we couldn’t be more pleased with the result.”

The new pavilion is a key element in the realisation of the Barclay Street complex masterplan, which includes an upgrade to the soccer clubhouse, a major upgrade to the skatepark, the construction of a new all-inclusive playspace, the establishment of a set down area for the Cruise Ship shuttle bus service, a memorial garden and a network of pathways to link these disparate recreational elements together.

This is the final phase of the NSW Government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund R2 ($654,000) project to revitalise the Barclay Street Eden Sportsground. Other elements included new oval floodlighting and spectator seating.

A further $226,000 was provided by the Australian Government through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program. This program supports local councils to deliver priority local road and community infrastructure projects across Australia, supporting jobs and the resilience of local economies to help communities bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bega Valley Shire Council also provided $185,000 in funding.

Grady said the building design incorporated features based on learnings from the Black Summer bushfires advising “the new building is much better equipped to support the use of the site as an evacuation area in the future if needed; as well as supporting the needs of sports clubs and community events.

“Additional contributors also came on board, with generous input from a number of private and public entities, making a significant difference to the outcome.”

Council acknowledges the support of Wentworthville Leagues Club’s Unite and Raise fund, the Business Council of Australia, Brent Dunne Design Eden, Acora Reneco, Newscorp Australia and Forestry Corporation of NSW.

Council also appreciates the contributions made by many others who donated funds or in-kind services to the project including Lawrence & Hanson Electrical, Pambula, Greg Eastman Electrical, Bega, Rob Barkem, Eden Whalers Football Club and Contact Tiling.

Further elements of the sportsground masterplan are expected to be delivered by late 2022.

Image: Council’s Project Manager Andrew Foster (centre) handing over the keys to the new Barclay Street Pavilion in Eden to Drew Mudaliar from the Eden Cricket Club (left) and Nicole Crowe from the Eden Whalers AFL Club (right). Courtesy Bega Valley Shire Council