Work on the fifth stage of the Kardinia Park Stadium redevelopment will begin after the AFL season, with BESIX Watpac being announced as the project builder.
The Victorian Government has provided $142 million in funding for the remaking project, which will see the construction of a 14,000-capacity two-tier northern stand to replace the ageing Ford Stand and Ablett Terrace.
The construction will increase the stadium’s capacity to over 40,000 people. BESIX Watpac has already completed similar projects, including Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium and the City of Greater Geelong’s Civic Administration Building.
The new stand will include facilities for professional and community sport, including unisex change rooms, and administration facilities for the Geelong Cricket Club.
The Major Project Skills Guarantee means apprentices, trainees and cadets will perform at least 10 per cent of all work on the project, and at least $1.2 million in goods and services must be procured from social enterprises.
Member for Geelong Christine Couzens said the project will also support the stadium’s operations through a new administration area and crowd management centre.
“Kardinia Park is a key driver of economic activity in Geelong, and the fifth stage of this redevelopment will create scores of local jobs over the life of the project,” Couzens said.
The redevelopment will also provide dedicated sustainability measures including solar panels to the roof of the new grandstand and provision for battery storage
The works are forecast to be completed in 2023.
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