Prospect community hub, library and innovation centre details received as tram barn set to go on sale
NEW details have been revealed about Prospect Council’s new $12 million community hub as a historic tram barn gets set to go on sale to help pay for it.
- Heritage tram barn could be sold by Prospect Council
- Commune-style living plan for Prospect’s historic tram barn site
NEW details have been revealed about Prospect Council’s new $12 million civic centre as a historic tram barn gets set to go on sale to help pay for it.
An architect will be appointed this month to design a replacement for the council’s Prospect Rd offices, which will be complemented by a new community centre, library, art gallery and digital hub.
Councillors were presented with concept designs for the new building at a meeting last week.
It will either be a four-storey building just north of the 1895 town hall – leaving land for a plaza behind the town hall – or a shorter building surrounding the town hall to the north and west.
An undercroft carpark will be built for about 90 cars.
Detailed plans will be complete by November and the council’s newly-formed assessment panel will decide on whether to give them development approval in December.
The council voted in February to go ahead with building the new community hub after being told in 2015 that the lease on its Thomas St library would not be renewed by the State Government.
Funds for the project will partly come from the sale of the State Heritage-listed tram barn at the corner of Main North and Johns roads – on about 5500sq m of land – and council offices at 132-134 Prospect Rd, on 1372sq m.
Council development services manager Chris Newby told last week’s meeting there had been “strong interest” in 132-134 Prospect Rd.
Expressions of interest closed last week.
Mr Newby said potential buyers had also said they would be interested in the tram barn if they missed out on Prospect Rd land.
The tram barn will go out for expressions of interest from developers next week.
A group of residents called the Tram Barn Alliance had called for a steering committee to be set up consisting of half their members and half council staff to go through the design and sales process.
Instead, councillors voted in July to keep them informed of when real estate agent CBRE started marketing it.
The council is also looking at where to house staff during construction of the new civic centre.
Options being considered include council-owned community and sporting buildings, properties owned by other councils and private rentals.