Northern Beaches Community Hub

Northern Beaches Community Hub master plan endorsed

The vision for a modern community hub to service the rapidly growing Northern Beaches is becoming clearer with a master plan endorsed by council today.

The Northern Beaches Community Hub will be council’s largest community infrastructure project in more than 20 years.

Today’s endorsement by an ordinary meeting clears the way for detailed design to start on the first stages of the Northern Beaches Community Hub.

The project will be built on a parcel of land council purchased last year opposite Northern Beaches State High School.

Deputy Mayor Karen May, who chairs a Northern Beaches Community Reference Group set up for this project, said stage 1A would include a multi-purpose undercover area, nature play and associated infrastructure.

She said this stage was estimated to cost around $10.75 million, requiring $4.25 million in council funds.

“We’ve previously received funding of $6.5 million through the Federal Government for this project.”

That Federal Government funding is through the Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities’ Development Grants Program.

Future stages include a library, with an aquatic facility also planned in later stages.

Cr May said the high-level cost estimate for stages one and two of the master plan was
$52 million, but this could be broken down to different sub-stages, depending on funding.

“The detailed design work will provide a shovel-ready project to enable us to seek more funding from the State and Federal governments,’’ she said.

Cr May said there had been extensive community consultation on the Northern Beaches Community Hub project, including a concept master plan developed in 2020.

“We also set up the Northern Beaches Community Hub Community Reference Group and an agencies group to help guide the master plan process,’’ she said.

“Stakeholders on those groups helped provide us with excellent feedback and ideas to ensure such a facility will best meet the needs of the Northern Beaches,’’ she said.

Click here to view the master plan.

Printed copies of the plan are available at Dudley Denny City Library and Gordon White Library.

Above: Preliminary concept of north-west perspective.

Above: Preliminary concept of south-west perspective.

Note: These are concepts only and are subject to funding.

Click here to read more about this project.

New Northern Beaches Community Hub Reference Group under way

A key to the success of a planned Northern Beaches Community Hub will be the ownership residents feel about the exciting facility.

With that in mind, council has formed a Northern Beaches Community Hub Reference Group, which has now met twice.

Minutes from the reference group meetings were adopted at today’s ordinary meeting of council (Wednesday, April 14).

Chair, Deputy Mayor Karen May, said this was an extremely important project for Mackay, particularly the fast-growing Northern Beaches area.

“About 20,000 people live in the Northern Beaches area and council, in its last term, secured a 3.7-hectare site for the establishment of community infrastructure that is well overdue,’’ she said.

Cr May said there had been a fantastic response from community members and agencies to be involved in the reference groups.

“It is so important for council, in this preliminary design stage of the project, to ensure we harness what the community really wants out of the Northern Beaches Community Hub,’’ she said.

“We can then make sure we facilitate what the community needs. It is a very exciting time for council and the community.”

Other councillor representatives on the Community Reference Group include Cr Michelle Green, who is deputy chair, and Cr Belinda Hassan.

Other council representatives include Development Services director Aletta Nugent and Community and Client Services director Angela Hays, as well as officers.

Community representatives include Sian Burrows, Tegan Jones, Rae Lee Cox, Maighan Grant, Maria (Ela) Maglente, Geoff Berger, Valeriya Edsall, David Southwood and Laurence Mayer.

The reference group doesn’t have any decision-making powers. Minutes and any recommendations of the group are considered at council meetings.

$6.5 million in Federal Government funding and land acquired

Mayor Greg Williamson said a site for the Northern Beaches Community Hub had been selected, with land purchases finalised in April 2020.

“We’ve purchased 3.7 hectares in the Rural View area, located between Mackay/Eimeo Road and Rosewood Drive,” Cr Williamson said.

“The land was purchased by council for $3.6M after a review of many options in the Northern Beaches area,” he said.

“Now that the land is finalised, we will continue the master planning of the site and then move into the concept design phase within the next six months.

“From concept design to finalisation of Stage One is likely to be between 24 and 30 months, and at this stage COVID-19 is not expected to have an impact on that time frame.”

Cr Williamson said while council was still working on the final scope of Stage One, the hub would likely contain community meeting spaces, library facilities and other services.

“Stage Two is likely to include some aquatic facilities and other services,” he said.

Stage One total costs estimates are yet to be finalised, but the Mayor said council was expecting it to be around $20M.

“We received $6.5M in funding from the Federal Government as an election commitment and will also be seeking State funding, with the balance to be covered by council.”

Preferred site identified

Mackay Regional Council CEO Craig Doyle said council had identified a preferred site for the planned Northern Beaches Hub.

He said council was now working to secure the site with an aim of finalising land acquisition and master planning for the project by mid-2020.

“Council has allocated budget in this financial year to progress concept design and identify and finalise land options,” Mr Doyle said.

“The final costs are still being finalised and will depend on land options, cost of construction and scope, but at this stage we have $6.5M of Federal funding approved for the project,” he said.

“Other sources of funding could include State funding and council.

“We are very close to finalising the land acquisition and this will allow master planning of that particular site, which would then lead to concept and detailed design phases in the second half of 2020.”

Mr Doyle said, at this stage, any forecasting of final project costs involved high level estimates.

“We’re still finalising the scope of stage one of this project,” he said.

“We have undertaken a number of business case and external reviews of the types of facilities and activities that could be provided based on current and future population and demographics in the Northern Beaches.”