Flinders Civic Hall is being redeveloped to meet current and future user needs. Thanks to all community members and stakeholders that have provided input to date.

The facility will be home to a wide variety of community groups and services including: Flinders Art Show, Flinders Arts Group, Flinders Community Association, Flinders Lions, Flinders Probus and Flinders RSL. Classes for older adult exercise, palates, Yoga classes and other activities.

The Flinders Community Hub has been designed as a complete knockdown/rebuild on the Flinders Hall’s existing site.

The rebuild approach has been identified as representing the most cost-effective and value for money outcome, given the existing facility is reaching the end of its useful life.

The design reflects feedback from the current user groups of the Flinders Hall and other community members to meet their current and future needs.

Funding

The Shire received $2.25 million towards the Flinders Civic Hall redevelopment through the State Government’s expanded Growing Suburbs Fund.

Council allocated $200,000 to progress the design phase and will match the $2.15 million funding.

This provides a total budget of $4.5M for this exciting development.

In 2021, the Shire also received $110,000 in funding from the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. These grants are part of a $2.5m investment to expand the Changing Places network in Victoria.

Facility Designs and Visuals

The Flinders Community Hub design includes the following components:

  • Main hall with elevated stage and designated storage area.
  • Offset area divided from the main hall using an operable wall.
  • Large terrace/porch area which can be opened to connect the offset area and the outdoor space.
  • Back stage areas with rear storage area with loading dock, unisex toilet amenity, male and female dry change areas.
  • Main entrance area with air lock main entrance.
  • There is now an opportunity for a drop in community space to be added to the hall.
  • Kitchen with dual servery (to main hall and to meeting rooms).
  • Meeting room and art room which can become a large meeting room by opening the operable wall.
  • Toilet amenities which include unisex disabled toilet.
  • All access ramps and steps to enter and within the facility and the precinct.
    • The design incorporates what users want to see in the new community hub, an upgrade of the already existing elements and provide a good connection between internal and outdoor spaces.



    Design Influences

    As the project progresses through Detailed Design, the Project Team and architects will ensure the designs and specifications are guided by the following key considerations:

    • Council and Community Policies and Strategies:
      • Flinders Village Centre Design Guidelines for New Development 2010
      • Flinders Village Centre Streetscape Design Framework 2011
      • Flinders Park & Cook Street Open Space - Long Term Master Plan 2015
      • Playspace Strategy 2015 – 2020
      • Western Port Coastal Villages Strategy Engagement Summary 2019.
    • Specialist consultant investigation and recommendations:
    • Environmentally Sustainable Design
    • Audio / Visual consulting
    • Acoustic Engineering
    • Universal Design
    • Landscape architects
    • Alongside the Project Team, additional internal Council representatives from various teams across the Shire are also involved in designing a sustainable and functional facility including, Arts and Culture, Halls Bookings, Maintenance, Building Management, Traffic and Transport, Climate Change and more!
    • User group and community feedback since the inception of the project in 2018/2019 is reflected in the current concepts and layouts. Numerous Design Workshops with user groups have taken place over the last 12 months, where comments and feedback have been collated and taken into consideration by the Project Team.

    The Community Drop-In session held in April 2021 was a great opportunity for the Project Team to present the current concepts and layouts to the wider community and answer any questions regarding the redevelopment.

    FAQs

    Frequently Asked Questions:

    Q. Why has the amenity design been reduced from four toilet cubicles to two?
    A. The Flinders Park Public Toilet Amenity only requires two pans to successfully service the playspace and park users.

    Q. How will you make the public toilet block look more appropriate for the area?
    A. We are designing the facility with a subtle and complimentary colour scheme, architectural design and using indigenous fauna to help camouflage the building with the surroundings.

    Q. Why has the amenity been proposed in this location?
    A. The location is near the local playspace, existing infrastructure, pram ramp, carparking spaces, pathway, bench seats and picnic tables. It is also a safe location for families to use the restroom without the risk of children being out of sight or too close to the road.

    Q. Will car parking be affected during the construction period?
    A. As part of the construction, the car parking bays at the front of the existing hall on Cook Street will be unavailable for the duration of the build to accommodate the builder's site compound.