Queenstown Lakes District Council has approved a four-court indoor facility at the Queenstown Events Centre, along with an expanded health and wellness space.
The decision was confirmed at a council meeting on Thursday 12 November. The project has a capital budget of $46 million, funded through the council's 2024-2034 Long Term Plan.
The new building will be single-storey and will include four indoor courts, expanded health and wellness facilities, multifunction and support spaces, and around 160 new car parks. It brings the total number of indoor courts at the Queenstown Events Centre to six.
The project responds to demand from more than 294 user groups, which regularly exceeds the capacity of the existing facility.
Kenneth Bailey, general manager community services, said expanding to six indoor courts at the Queenstown Events Centre means there will be more space to accommodate sport and recreation activities for the community.
"This is a big moment for the district as we look to grow our capacity in the sport and recreation space by 2030. Demand has well and truly outgrown what the current facility can offer and we've responded to clear calls from the community about the need for more space," he said.
Simon Battrick, strategic project manager community services, said the project team will now move to detailed design and procurement for construction. "With the decision confirmed, our focus now moves to detailed design and procurement for construction," Battrick said.
"We know how much this matters to clubs and user groups, so we'll keep them and the wider community informed every step of the way as the project progresses," he said.
The expanded facility is expected to be completed in the second half of 2029.