Asbestos, 'bubbling' courts and weather cause delays to new-look Beaton Park tennis centre
After costly repairs to defective courts, problems with asbestos and the weather, Wollongong Council is reporting Beaton Park's tennis courts should be complete within three months
Since work began in mid 2023 on the multi-million-dollar upgrade of Beaton Park's tennis courts, it seems anything that could go wrong has, but finally there's good news.
After costly repairs to defective courts, problems with asbestos and the weather, Wollongong Council is reporting the project should be complete within three months.
Following lengthy negotiations, contract disputes appear to have been resolved, and work is now back underway, which should see the new courts fully operational early in the new year.
Upgrade a game-changer for tennis in the region
In June 2023, with much fanfare, Tennis NSW announced a start to work on the construction of 14 new courts, including eight International Tennis Federation standard acrylic hard courts, two community acrylic hard courts and four synthetic grass community courts.
Tennis NSW said at the time the Beaton Park upgrade was "set to change the game of tennis in Regional NSW. The project will transform the venue into a vital regional tennis hub for the state and Illawarra community."
A potential international standard facility
The aim was to create a new 'Tier 2' tennis centre, capable of securing international, national and state level events. A number of the new "cushioned" courts are the same surface as used at the Australian Open at Rod Laver Arena. Tennis NSW CEO Darren Simpson said, "Having access to grand slam surfaces and quality venues such as this will help develop the next Ash Barty and talent like Alex de Minaur."
Select Civil was awarded the $14.3 million contract, which also included upgrades to spectator facilities, new floodlighting, shade structures, a new car park, and improved player facilities. The NSW Government chipped in $1 million and there was $1.1 million from the NSW ATP Cup Tennis Legacy Fund. Wollongong Council is covering the bulk of the cost of the project.
Council is planning an opening celebration once the works are finally completed
Old asbestos discovered under the courts
The first problem encountered early in the construction of the courts came in February 2024 when material containing asbestos was detected in an area under the old courts when they were being demolished.
Council's General Manager, Greg Doyle, explained at the time: "When the courts were originally built there wouldn't have been the same awareness or safety measures in place for asbestos management as there are today. So, while then they might have used building rubble which included asbestos-containing material to manage the soil conditions and build up a base, we wouldn't do that now."
The General Manager said this resulted in a stop to work while a remediation plan was put in place that included the safe removal and disposal of the material.
"This not only added a financial impact to the project, but also a potential delay to the completion of the work. While the final dollar value of this unexpected find will be confirmed once the project's finished, it's estimated to be around half a million dollars." Mr Doyle said this would have an impact on Council's overall budget.
Resurfacing will be completed by the end of January and while repair work is underway some of the new courts are in use. Photos: Jeremy Lasek
New set-back when courts started "bubbling"
Once the asbestos was safely removed, work resumed but the project hit another hitch earlier this year, which meant a further delay in the completion of the work and an official opening.
Council confirmed there were problems identified on some new courts where the surface started "bubbling". It meant these courts needed to be stripped back and resurfaced again.
"Cooler winter temperatures delayed repairs to the court, but with the warmer weather now here, remediation works are now underway and are expected to be completed over the coming months," a Council spokesperson said.
Council wouldn't confirm the cost of the additional project blow-out, but The Illawarra Flame understands it could be higher than $1 million.
Total cost of repairs not disclosed
In its statement, Council wouldn't confirm how much of the additional cost would be borne by ratepayers. "Council has been working with our contractor and sub-contractor to manage the delivery of the project, including the cost and timeline of these works," the spokesperson said.
When The Illawarra Flame visited Beaton Park last week, several courts were in use, while contractors were busy carrying out the resurfacing work.
Council says it expects the repair works to be completed in January 2026, when a celebration event is expected to mark the formal opening of the revamped facility.
