City of Busselton, Western Australia, began demolition of the original courts at the old Busselton Tennis Club in March, closing the door on a past age.
The courts and associated infrastructure were removed to provide greater pedestrian access between the foreshore and the Busselton town centre via the Queen Street Cultural Precinct.
Six courts situated in the northern end of the centre will be retained for now, but mark the footprint for a future hotel development on that portion of the site.
In the short to medium term the area will be landscaped and retained as public open space.
Other works underway during the current stage of the development include the construction of 176 extra carparks to cater for increased traffic to the foreshore and future parking requirements associated with the Busselton Entertainment Arts and Cultural Hub (BEACH) which is currently in the design stage.
A significant portion of the existing court area will be permanently returned to the community with landscaping including the planting of shade trees, creation of public open space and the installation of seating walls and exposed aggregate footpaths.
The look and feel of these works will be in keeping with earlier stages of the foreshore development which have received several awards.
The former club house will be retained for commercial lease.
Removal of the old courts marks the end of an era for the historic tennis club which moved into brand new facilities late last year. Club President Barry House was nostalgic.
“There have been grass courts on the Busselton Foreshore since the early 1900s.
“They’ve been a constant feature of the landscape for well over 100 years and a focal point for our growing community.
“Thankfully the new tennis centre ensures the club’s unique bayside character is retained for future generations.”
Mayor, Grant Henley, shared the sentiment but also acknowledged the importance of the current stage of the development in terms of realising the overall objectives of the community-led Busselton Foreshore Masterplan.
“Linking the Foreshore and Busselton town centre has always been a key objective of the Busselton Foreshore Masterplan and is central to
CBD activation plans.”
