IF other councils in South East Queensland can deliver world-class sports infrastructure, why can’t the Redlands?
That’s the question local sporting clubs are asking as they look enviously south to the $80 million Pimpama Sports Hub.
Opened in late 2021, the Pimpama Sports Hub is the northern Gold Coast’s largest-ever civic infrastructure project.
Built over 20 months, the precinct features a top-quality aquatic centre with five pools, including a 10-lane outdoor pool, an indoor 25m pool, learn-to-swim and warm water therapy pools, plus outdoor water play.
It also includes a fully equipped fitness centre, a community centre with meeting and function rooms, eight tennis courts, a 12-court netball facility, and parklands.
Cr Mark Hammel (pictured) said the Pimpama Sports Hub had been embraced by the community.
“Attendance has grown from about 190,000 visits in its first year to more than 450,000 in the past year alone – an increase of almost 140 per cent in just a few years,” he said.
Cr Hammel said there were clear lessons for other fast-growing councils like Redlands considering major sporting infrastructure.
“The key lesson is that demand for sport and community facilities arrives quickly in growth areas, so early planning is critical – these projects take time to deliver,” he said.
“Multi-use precincts that combine sport, health, recreation and community spaces deliver far greater long-term value than single-use facilities.”
Sports clubs say the contrast with Redlands is stark.
RedCity Roar Basketball Association General Manager Chris Angus said ongoing delays to projects such as the proposed Heinemann Road Sports Precinct were already having real consequences on the ground.
“With Redlands in desperate need of upgraded, expanded or new sporting facilities, it is disappointing that projects like Heinemann Road continue to be held up or delayed,” Mr Angus said.
“Other local government areas are announcing revitalised sporting precincts and that means we are playing catch-up in this space.
“The challenge we face is we have to turn kids away, or they end up going to associations outside of Redlands that have the capacity and facilities to support growth.”
Capalaba Bulldogs president Shaun McAney echoed those concerns.
“It would be nice to have a sporting complex in the Redlands similar to the Pimpama project,” Mr McAney said.
“That amount of investment would really benefit the local community and its sporting members.”
He warned the stakes would only rise as the 2032 Olympic Games approached.
“With the 2032 Olympics coming up, a facility like this could host some teams for training and bring money into the area,” he said.
Redlands Cricket President Sean Lloyd said delays at Heinemann Road were deeply frustrating for clubs and families as demand grew.
“Understanding that there are timeline delays at Heinemann Road will be very frustrating for all,” Mr Lloyd said. “A multi-facility sports hub like Pimpama should be mirrored at Heinemann Road to provide opportunities across a greater range of sports for our population.”
The Heinemann Road Sports Precinct at Mount Cotton – long promoted as a solution to chronic sports field shortages – remains stalled.
The project is slated to include 13 touch football fields, three rugby league fields, two clubhouses, about 800 car parks, extensive walking, cycling and horse-riding trails, wetlands, boardwalks and playground.
Despite a revised master plan endorsed in late 2023, progress has been slowed by environmental approvals.
While the former State Government funded the project’s feasibility study, Council voluntarily referred the site to the Federal Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) process to address environmental concerns.
Ongoing EPBC delays have left the project in limbo.
Deputy Mayor Julie Talty said the Heinemann Road Regional Sporting Complex was critical to meeting needs.
“The design that went to public consultation was overwhelmingly supported by the community, and that design should be built,” she said.
“Redlands has a growing shortage of sporting and community facilities, and red and green tape is preventing that need from being met.
“We also need indoor sports facilities, and Council has sites that may be suitable.
“It is essential that Redlands is not left behind and that people have access to facilities and a community where they can belong.”
Cr Jason Colley, who holds the sport and recreation portfolio, said he visited both the Coomera Indoor Sports Centre and the Pimpama Sports Hub last year.
“We have a duty to deliver the sporting and recreational infrastructure our community needs,” Cr Colley said.
“And it’s Council’s responsibility to find a way to make that happen within the financial constraints we are operating under.”
