Residential in Play for ACT Aussie Rules Club Site

Builder-developer Bloc has filed plans for an indoor sports facility plus apartments scheme in Canberra after brokering a deal with an Aussie rules club.

The builder-developer wants to demolish the aging Kaleen Indoor Recreation Centre in favour of townhouses, two apartment complexes and the indoor sports centre that would include a pool.

The development, with a projected cost of $33 million, is planned for the 7575sq m site opposite Kaleen Plaza at 16 Georgia Crescent, or Block 4, Section 89, Kaleen within the Belconnen district.

The centre and its site is part of the Eastlake Football Club portfolio, which also includes properties at Calwell, Griffith and Gungahlin, most of which have had upgrades recently. 

The club applied to change the Crown lease on its Kaleen site to allow development on the site, home to the Demons, which was approved in 2023.

The deal with the Bloc was delayed due to concerns around the introduction of the Property Developers Bill 2023, which would treat the club as the property developer, holding it accountable for building defects for up to a decade. 

▲ Bloc is planning to replace the big scallop shell of the Kaleen Indoor Recreation Centre with a modern mixed-use development.

Bloc director Andrew Redwin is now the lessee under Kaleen Landowner Pty Ltd as listed on the application which was filed with the ACT Government on January 28.

Steward Architecture has designed the Kaleen proposal, which comprised 18 townhouses and 78 apartments within two four storey buildings, and two levels of basement parking.

Also planned is a 1733sq m indoor sports facility of  two storeys with parking underneath. 

Home values in Belconnen increased 0.8 per cent in 2024 to $824,824 pushing it to the top three suburbs in Canberra, according to the Corelogic. 

▲ The central courtyard by Redbox Design Group for Bloc in place of the aging Kaleen Indoor Recreation Centre in Canberra.