When completed in 2023, the $100 million Blacktown Exercise, Sports and Technology (BEST) Hub and Lodge will be the stunning centrepiece of a bold ambition to transform the Blacktown International Sportspark into Australia’s most innovative and integrated sports, health and education precinct.
The 60ha Blacktown International Sportspark in the centre of global Sydney that began life as a Sydney 2000 Olympic Games training and competition venue is now being reimagined from the “grass” roots up.
In recognising the importance of being a healthy, active and sporting city, and the motivational power of physical activity to change lives for the better, Blacktown City Council saw a unique opportunity to shape a bold and inclusive future for the Sportspark.
When complete in 2023, the Blacktown Exercise, Sports and Technology Hub will bring together allied health, sports medicine, rehabilitation services and training facilities for athletes to push the boundaries of health care, education and sporting performance.
The services will be underpinned by practice-informed research and higher education.
As the Mayor of Blacktown, Tony Bleasdale OAM, recently said, “BEST will deliver world-class facilities and will take community health and sport innovation to a new level. These transformational projects are a source of much excitement in our city.”
Neil Gibson, precinct director Blacktown International Sportspark, said the key stakeholders in BEST were important.
“Our partners share our vision for the project and continue to push the project team to deliver a building that is transformational not just in its design but in how it delivers healthcare for the community.”
Innovation will be led by the BEST partners, Blacktown City Council, the Australian Catholic University (ACU), Sydney West Sports Medicine, AFL and WentWest, along with the teams and organisations that call the Sportspark home.
Blacktown City Council will operate the strength and conditioning gym, aquatic recovery centre, meeting rooms and auditorium.
Outdoor facilities include a rectangular synthetic pitch and large-scale physical literacy area, a space where people of all ages can benefit from the health benefits of being active within a safe environment.
The new cafe will be the perfect place for a catch-up with friends, a pit-stop on a family cycle or walking adventure, and will offer a healthy mix of snacks, meals and drinks.
A new shared user path will connect the Sportspark to Rooty Hill town centre to the west and Charlie Bali Reserve to the east. The shared user path will create a 1.3km trail through the Sportspark for cyclists and pedestrians, creating a route for The Great West Walk.
With BEST Hub Stage 1 fully leased, Blacktown City Council is now inviting expressions of interest for multiple BEST Stage 2 development areas.
There are three developable areas available within the Sportspark with adjacencies to BEST and Eastern Road, Rooty Hill and range in size from 9445sq m to 22,805square metres.
The EOI for BEST Hub Stage 2 is a call for complementary opportunities in research and development, medical facilities, health and aged-care services, sports technology and gaming, disability services, mobility products, sports consumer products, indoor and outdoor sport recreation, entertainment facilities, and retail.
BEST Hub Stage 2 will add further opportunities for synergy—to bring together sport, health, and education in the one place.
BEST Hub Stage 2 presents an exciting opportunity to:
Leverages growth in sport, health, and education sectors
Access a fast-growing and culturally diverse population in western Sydney, with Blacktown also being a catchment area for the Hills District
Co-locate with major partners and sporting codes already invested into the fully occupied BEST Hub Stage 1 and the Sportspark
Leverage the investment in BEST Hub Stage 1, which is under construction and scheduled for completion in 2023
Access Eastern Road frontage, which is visible to high numbers of passing traffic
Access the large visitor and spectator numbers at the Sportspark
Be close to both Blacktown and Mt Druitt Hospitals, and
Have close proximity, approximately 700m shared path to heavy rail.
To express your interest to invest in BEST Hub Stage 2 at the Blacktown International Sportspark click here.
Expressions of interest close October 26, 2022.
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