Indoor Community Sports Centre Construction to Begin

Changes are taking place on Cobham Drive Park in Kilbirnie and major construction on Wellington’s much-anticipated Indoor Community Sports Centre (ICSC) is set to start early next year.

Mainzeal Property and Construction Ltd have been awarded the main building contract and are moving equipment onsite. The official ‘turning of the sod' ceremony took place on the site last week.

The ICSC is expected to be completed around August 2011 in time for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

The first major stage of work will be excavating the underground parking for around 140 cars. This is likely to start on 11 January, resulting in a huge hole – three metres deep and about the size of a rugby field.

The Council's Manager of Recreation and Sports Facility Development, Jamie Delich, says the ICSC will provide quality playing and training facilities for netball, basketball, volleyball and other indoor sports for the Wellington community and schools.

"The centre will be a huge boost for community sport," he says. "We have been working closely with many stakeholders and sports groups during the planning phases and we are all very excited work on the centre is finally starting."

The ICSC, with its 12 courts, will be able to host local, national and potentially international sports tournaments, filling a gap in Wellington's sporting infrastructure.

The cost for the project is likely to be around $47.5 million.