- Premier officially opens the Mills Park Community Centre in Beckenham\
- Centre is WA's first 6-Star Green Star public building
- State Government provides $8 million in support for community infrastructure
Premier Colin Barnett has officially opened the new Mills Park Community Centre in the City of Gosnells, made possible by $8 million in State Government grants. The community centre is part of the Mills Park redevelopment, a district hub catering to community, sport and recreation activities with specialist facilities to accommodate local groups.
Mr Barnett said the infrastructure project was the largest the city had ever undertaken and would increase social, leisure and recreational opportunities for the local community, while preserving the park's natural assets.
"I congratulate the City of Gosnells for developing an outstanding community hub which brings state-of-the-art recreation, community and sporting facilities to the area," he said.
"The Mills Park redevelopment received $4 million in funding through a Lotterywest grant, and a further $4 million through the Department of Sport and Recreation."
At the heart of Mills Park is the community centre. The building is Western Australia's first 6-Star Green Star public building and includes a community hall, function centre, meeting rooms, multi-purpose activity spaces, club rooms, cafe, change rooms, public amenities and a kindy gym. "This outstanding building demonstrates not only a commitment to bringing a growing community together, but also to sustainable building practices," the Premier said.
Sport and Recreation Minister Mia Davies said the city received a grant of $2 million from the Community Sporting and Recreation Facilities Fund in 2014-15 and an extra $2 million in the 2015-16 forward planning round. "This money is going towards a wide range of sporting facilities at Mills Park including tennis courts, two reconfigured playing fields, floodlighting, cricket nets, two multi-purpose synthetic soccer fields, a skate park and change rooms, plus a contribution to the sporting clubrooms in the Mills Park Community Centre," Ms Davies said.
Along with the community centre, the Mills Park redevelopment also includes a skate plaza, nature play space, piazza, sporting infrastructure and walkways. The piazza, which features a stage area and viewing space, will be a venue for events and festivals in the city. The fully accessible nature play space is five times larger than was available previously and connects to a network of well-lit walkways to provide further opportunities for the community to connect with the natural environment.
The site also includes the State's first full-size artificial soccer pitches which are home to two local clubs. Mr Barnett acknowledged the hard work of the City of Gosnells in working collaboratively with residents to develop a recreation space that would provide for a connected community. "Extensive consultation will ensure these facilities meet the needs of the city and will be enjoyed by the local community for many years to come," he said.
The Mills Park Master Plan was finalised in December 2014, with construction beginning in April 2015. Stage 2 began in November 2015 with an expected completion date of February 2017, four months ahead of schedule. The total cost of the redevelopment is $47 million with Lotterywest and the Department of Sport and Recreation each providing $4 million and the City of Gosnells contributing the balance.
Premier's office - 6552 5000
Sport and Recreation Minister's office - 6552 5500