$16m refit for Royal Kings Park

The 106-year-old Royal Kings Park Tennis Club, which faced closure only a few years ago, will undergo a $16 million refurbishment.

The redevelopment, approved last week by Environment Minister Judy Edwards, will include an upgrade of the courts and the long-term maintenance of the heritage-listed assets on the site.

Next Generation Clubs Australia will fund the project and manage the tennis club under a 25-year sub-lease agreement, and the tennis club will remain head lessee with the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority.

Ms Edwards said the club had faced rising operating costs and a lack of capital to adequately maintain valuable heritage assets for more than 10 years.

“The club negotiated an agreement with Next Generation to replace the Eastman building with a new facility on that site, which will include a gym, hydrotherapy pools and associated health and club facilities, and the refurbishment of and maintenance of existing degraded heritage assets,” Ms Edwards said.

Royal Kings Park Tennis Club president Bob Stevenson said he was delighted with the decision, given the considerable time that had gone into making the proposal acceptable.

In am email to club members, Mr Stevenson said that the club was facing closure at the end of 2003 when the refurbishment proposal ground to a halt.

“We survived that and we have had many other fights to fight on the way since then. Happily, however, we are now over the finishing line.

“There is much to do on adjusting to the new operational situation, but it is all doable and it will be a great deal more fun knowing we have won.”

The Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority undertook a public consultation process during 2004 and received more than 300 submissions, with 90 per cent of those supporting the redevelopment.

“The club is certainly one of the icons of our sport in Western Australia and this decision means the preservation of more than 100 years of great tennis heritage into the future,” Mr Stevenson said.

“The new clubhouse will stand on the same place as the old one and has been crafted with sensitivity to blend into the heritage-listed McGibbon Stand and the Members Stand.”