Pictured: Mayor Gangemi with Deputy Mayor Hodges at Castle Hill Showground.
Castle Hill Showground Arena will soon be transformed into a modern venue that can hold a range of larger scale community and sporting events thanks to funding received under the NSW Government’s $5 billion WestInvest Fund.
The Hills Shire Council was successful in securing approximately $11.475 million of WestInvest funding – which aims to deliver transformational projects and local infrastructure to communities across Greater Sydney – for the construction of a new arena in the much-loved Showground.
“From being used as an animal flood evacuation centre to hosting fundraisers, sporting competitions and more recently, a kite flying festival – Castle Hill Showground has played an important role in bringing residents together over the course of a century,” Mayor of The Hills Shire, Dr Peter Gangemi said.
“Our vision is to continue the Showground’s reputation as a ‘thriving cultural and leisure facility’, and we are doing this through modernising the space’s well-utilised Arena so that it can support our growing community and bring even more opportunity for celebration and joy.
“The new Arena is intended to remain in its elliptical design, but also incorporate a large grass berm that will act as an amphitheatre with seating embedded within it and this will maximise the space’s potential to be used for a variety of events and sporting codes. A new pathway will also be built around the Arena and will provide greater accessibility into the venue, as well as an additional active link that can be used for exercise and recreation,” Mayor Gangemi added.
The latest round of WestInvest funding is in addition to the $4.6 million already received for the Castle Hill Showground pedestrian bridge, as well as $1.09 million for the Livvi’s Place Playground extension, $1 million for upgrades to Fred Caterson Reserve and $999,595 to rejuvenate Baker Crescent shops and the adjacent McBurney Reserve.
Council also secured $15.5 million under the program to renew the indoor recreation centre at the former Horseworld site in Box Hill and to upgrade flood warning systems in the Shire, making it a total of $34.6 million secured by Council under the WestInvest program.
Mayor Gangemi thanked Premier Dominic Perrottet and the NSW Government for the additional funding.
“This extra funding will allow Council to deliver important works as set out in our adopted Master Plan to transform the Showground into a thriving cultural hub through key social and community infrastructure, while also paying homage to the Showground’s 130-year plus history.”
“The funding also comes at a time when we need to deliver the infrastructure to support an additional 10,000 residents who will soon call the State Government’s Showground Precinct ‘home’. The Showground, is located within this Precinct and will be used by these residents for sport and recreation, as well as by other people from across Greater Sydney who will be able to access drawcard events and entertainment with the ease of the Sydney Metro Northwest, which sits right at the front door of this venue,” Mayor Gangemi added.
For more information on Council’s adopted Master Plan for Castle Hill Showground, visit The Hills Shire Council website, www.thehills.nsw.gov.au and search ‘Castle Hill Showground Master Plan’.
