FAQs
- Support the existing sports and users at the site whilst recognising there will need to be some compromises by each group for this to occur.
- Retain the focus on active ageing whilst providing activity opportunities for all age groups.
- Increase the community and social use of the Millswood Sporting Complex to achieve a well-used site and to strengthen the viability of the activities at the complex, whilst still maintaining and supporting opportunities for competition.
- Retain and enhance the unique character and community values of the site, including the character of buildings.
- Increase the shared use of the main building and spaces ensuring all groups and the broader community benefit from these.
- Strengthen the cooperation and communication between the sports and other users including in relation to the development, use and management of the facilities.
- Club members area for approximately 50-60 people;
- An expanded bar and kitchen area;
- An office and sick bay;
- Increased toilets including all access facilities;
- Increased storage;
- Retention of Norfolk Island Pine;
- Improved DDA disability access up to and through the building, and
- Onsite parking for eight (8) cars.
- An expanded club members area for approximately 80 people; and
- An outdoor deck and canopy.
- More intricate front fencing and substantial entry features, complementary paver pathways and more comprehensive landscaping to the street and site.
What is the Millswood Sporting Complex?
The Millswood Sporting Complex is located at Millswood Park, 20A to 20D Millswood Crescent, Millswood, immediately south of the Belair and Onkaparinga rail lines junction. It is home to the Millswood Bowling Club, Millswood Croquet Club, Millswood Lawn Tennis Club and the South Australian Society for Model and Experimental Engineers (SASMEE).
Who is the Millswood Croquet Club?
The Millswood Croquet Club is a successful local sporting club with approximately 80 members.
The current facility operates all year round, for a variety of activities including high level and club tournaments, coaching and social participation. It includes a small club house building, three full-size croquet lawns with new lighting, off-street car parking for approximately seven (7) vehicles and a storage shed for maintenance equipment.
The existing Croquet Club building is small with limited facilities that no longer meet the Club’s needs or contemporary standards. In addition, its location, form and age do not reasonably enable it to be effectively expanded.
What is the Millswood Sporting Complex Improvement Plan?
The Millswood Sporting Complex Improvement Plan was endorsed by Council in 2014, and a long term (10 year) Implementation Plan subsequently approved in 2015. The Improvement Plan was the culmination of extensive community and stakeholder engagement to guide the future development of the two sports complexes.
The development of the Improvement Plan was underpinned by the following guiding principles:
The Council has been working with the clubs to implement the recommendations of the Millswood Sporting Complex Improvement Plan since 2014.
Council considered a report on 12 August 2017 (Item 933) and endorsed three priority projects at Goodwood Oval and Millswood Sporting Complex, including upgrades to the Goodwood Oval grandstand (football and cricket), sports lighting at Millswood Tennis Complex (Goodwood Oval) and a new building and surrounds at Millswood Croquet Club.
At the Council meeting held on 27 November 2017 (Item 1021), Council confirmed that $260,000 be allocated towards the development of a new club building and surrounds at the Millswood Croquet Club and those discussions continue with possible external funding partners before a commitment was made to proceed with the project.
What is the Project Budget, and who is funding the works?
In late 2017, Council committed $260,000 towards the development of new clubrooms for the Croquet Club, in accordance with the recommendations of the Improvement Plan. A Concept Design was developed in 2018, however, the proposed scope of works far exceeded the available budget and so it did not proceed further.
The Croquet Club project attracted a Commonwealth Government Community Development Grants Programme (CDG) grant in 2019 of $250,000, and the Club has also committed $50,000 to the project. Together with Council’s commitment of a contribution of $260,000, this provides a total available project budget of $560,000.
In its 2019/20 Budget, Council committed $20,000 (in addition to the $260,000) towards the development of a revised Concept Design more in line with the available budget but still aligned with the Croquet Club’s aspirations. The current project budget enables contemporary fit-for-purpose new clubrooms but with only a nominal increase in club members area functional capacity, but increased floor area from 48 to 58 square metres (20%).
Subject to community feedback and response by Council, there is an allocation in Council’s 2020/21 Annual Business Plan in the amount of $75,000 (part of the $260,000 total project allocation) for detailed design and documentation and to seek Development Approval.
What was the brief for the Croquet Club Concept Design?
The Council has been working with the clubs to implement the recommendations of the Millswood Sporting Complex Improvement Plan since 2014. Following the award of the federal grant, Council committed to a Concept Design for a new Croquet Clubrooms in 2019/2020
The new clubrooms address the Club’s long-term aspirations; including future use and minimum requirements. The current design seeks to maximise efficiency in satisfying the Club's core requirements, contemporary facilities and additional services, whilst responding to the budget.
The Building and Site Concept Design includes
Was the retention and adaption of the existing Clubhouse considered?
The Millswood Sporting Complex buildings, including the Croquet Clubrooms and Bowling Clubrooms, are currently designated as Non-Contributory Items. As such, the associated policy in the Development Plan (Unley) does not require their retention.
However, the retention and upgrade of the existing clubrooms were considered, however, this raised a number of challenges to achieve a practical and reasonable outcome. The existing Croquet Club building is small, aged and with limited facilities that no longer meet the Club's needs or contemporary standards. In addition, its location and nature do not reasonably enable it to be effectively expanded.
An upgrade to the existing building would require major modification and/or reconstruction altering the integrity of the building to achieve modern standards, facilities and amenities. The extension of the current building to the north-east would also block the vehicle access to the site.
How might the design affect the character of the neighbourhood?
The new clubroom building is proposed to be located in the centre of the site to better suit the site layout, be less dominant in the streetscape and provide a more suitable space for the desired new facility.
The central location allows views across the three croquet lawns from the clubrooms, opens the view of the whole site from the street and maintains a space for upgraded on-site parking near the street.
The careful consideration of the front fence and landscaping are important to complete the streetscape and complement the valued attributes within the zone.
How might the design affect the Sporting Complex?
The central location adjacent to the bowling green does raise the matter of potential additional overshadowing of the croquet lawns to the west and bowling green to the east, and the impact of sunlight access for long-term ongoing good vigour of the grass.
Specific overshadowing analysis has been undertaken to illustrate these impacts. The standard analysis for the summer and winter solstice at 10 am and 3 pm has been expanded with additional later times in the afternoon to explore more fully the impact upon the bowling green.
As part of the detailed design process, further consideration to minimising overshadowing will be considered.
How does the Concept Design comply with the City of Unley’s Development Plan?
The site is currently in the Residential Historic (Conservation) Zone - Policy Area 4 - Spacious Millswood Page Estate. The existing Croquet Clubrooms building is from an early 19th Century period but the primary identified buildings of value for retention in the zone are principally the Inter-War bungalow, art deco, tudor and complementary later dwelling styles.
The Millswood Sporting Complex buildings, including the Croquet Clubrooms and Bowling Clubrooms, are currently designated as Non-Contributory Items. As such, the associated policy in the Development Plan (Unley) does not require their retention.
The scale and nature of the new building remain relatively modest. The building design is of a contemporary nature, not attempting to replicate an original building, but strongly references valued local traditional building forms and attributes of the bungalow, gable ends, stepped façade, central entry, horizontal windows features of the neighbourhood and sought by the Residential Historic (Conservation) Zone – Policy Area 4 - Spacious Millswood Page Estate. The brick, weatherboard and custom orb materials and their colours reference the original clubroom, other structures within the Sporting Precinct and buildings from the surrounding neighbourhood.
The further refinement of final design detail, fixtures and fittings will be addressed as part of the process for future detailed design and documentation for the scope and specification of the final works.
How is member parking being managed?
The current facility has approximately seven (7) unmarked on-site car parking spaces provided in the centre of the site and accessed off the driveway along the eastern side of the site.
Within the Concept Design, the off-street parking area and relocated access crossover is proposed to be located adjacent Millswood Crescent. The new facilities will provide all-weather carpark for eight (8) spaces, including an 'access' space and improved manoeuvrability. The number of spaces is appropriate to the parking requirements for a 'Non-residential Club' pursuant to the Development Plan (Unley) Table Un/5 parking.
The opportunity remains as part of the detailed design for further discussions with the Bowling Club regarding their existing service access from the driveway and other access arrangements direct from Millswood Crescent.
Off-street parking will be addressed as part of the process of detailed design and obtaining necessary planning approval.
How are the existing trees being managed?
The Croquet Club site includes two Regulated Trees; a Norfolk Island Pine at the southern part of the internal carpark triangle area, and a Jacaranda located to the northern part.
The retention of the Norfolk Island Pine, as the larger and more prominent notable tree, has been a key consideration in the design. The Concept Design has been conscious of optimising the necessary area of the Tree Protection Zone and offsetting the extent of any intrusions. The detailed design process will consider further the finer specific aspects of these requirements to ensure the long-term health and safety of the tree.
The removal of the Jacaranda tree located deeper into the site with less visibility has been considered appropriate given that it supports the reasonable development of the site for land use and building scale envisaged by the zone. The Jacaranda is a smaller tree, and the removal is further supported due to ongoing problems caused by its proximity to, and the lifting of the lawn playing surface by tree roots, as well as leaf drop.
The site planning for the Clubrooms sought to avoid the more prominent Norfolk Island Pine, which necessarily leads to significant compromise of the Jacaranda Tree. As a result, to achieve the requirements of the Club and new clubroom, and to ensure the protection of the Pine and address the current issue with disruption to the croquet playing surface lawn, the removal of the Jacaranda would be required.
The removal of the regulated tree (Jacaranda) would be addressed through the planning approval process.
Why are there two concepts shown?
The Croquet Club is keen to achieve an expanded club members area for the new facility to better accommodate their membership and up to 80 people.
In recognition of this, an alternate Concept Design has been prepared to demonstrate how simple design adjustments could accommodate the following additional features:
The additional funding would also allow enhancements including:
The expanded scope is subject to the Croquet Club attaining additional funding, in the order of $250,000 from the State Government or others.
What will happen if the Club does not receive additional funding?
The expanded scope is subject to the Croquet Club attaining additional funding, in the order of $250,000 from the State Government or others.
If additional funding from a third party cannot be confirmed, the Council will proceed to realise a design reflecting the original Concept Design for a club members area functional capacity of 50-60 people.
Following the consultation process, what are the Next Steps?
Following the conclusion of the consultation, a report will be prepared for Council consideration of the consultation feedback, concerns and proposed response. Subject to Council determination the project would move to the detailed design and approvals stage during 2020/2021.
Any proposed development will be subject to the Planning Development Application process and appropriate public notification and assessment by the independent Council Assessment Panel.
If all approvals are met, and the final project is aligned with the Council and Club’s expectations, the construction would commence in 2021/2022 and be completed as part of the Club’s Centenary celebrations in 2022.