From surveys to advisory panels the Western Downs Regional Council are encouraging feedback into their Cultural Centre Project

A survey seeking feedback for the proposed Dalby Cultural Centre Development has been launched by Western Downs Regional Council, alongside two advisory panels.

TJ Park Advisory Panel. Photo: WDRC.

Western Downs Regional Council has vowed to work openly and transparently with the community to come to an agreement on the contentious Dalby Cultural Centre project through the latest round of community engagement.

The cultural centre development has created a firestorm of controversy over the past several months after the council approved Thomas Jack Park as the preferred location for the centre.

At last month’s council meeting a petition to reconsider the site of the future cultural hub signed by more than 5000 residents was presented to council.

TJ Park Advisory Panel. Photo: WDRC.

The motion to review the site, put forward by councillor George Moore, narrowly passed five votes to four with councillors Peter Saxelby and all three new councillors, Sophie Bougoure, Sam Condon and Greg Olm voting in favour of taking more time to review the location and budget of the future cultural hub.

Mayor Andrew Smith said Western Downs Regional Council recognised the invaluable insights that diverse perspectives provide and were actively seeking community input on the project.

“This latest survey provides an opportunity to test the draft community values for the Cultural Centre which have been informed by the outcomes of previous engagement activities. The survey also seeks feedback on potential options for a location for the Cultural Centre,” Mr Smith said.

“The perspectives provided by the community will help shape the project brief and ultimately guide a way forward for this project, so I encourage all residents of our region to have their say to ensure we come up with a plan which best meets the needs of our locals and visitors.”

Mr Smith said there would be a variety of ways the community could make their voices heard.

“To gather feedback from community members who are not on social media or who prefer to engage in more traditional ways, council is doing a blanket mailbox and PO Box drop of Have Your Say postcards delivered to residents in the 4405 postcode this week. These postcards have also been offered to businesses in Cunningham St to provide to members of the public,” he said.

“We’ll be having pop-up Have Your Say stalls at Dalby Shopping World this week and council’s engagement team have been out and about at local sporting and community events over past weekends to chat to families and young people about their aspirations for a new Cultural Centre.”

Thomas Jack Park Dalby. Picture: Sam Turner

In addition to broader community engagement, council has also established advisory panels to assist with sharing two-way information, insights and ideas about the endorsed project.

“Expressions of interests for the refreshed Community Advisory Panel (CAP) closed on Thursday May 9. Of the 46 applications received for the 13 available positions, many were scored highly by the panel and so to ensure good cross representation as outlined within the selection criteria, an additional two positions were made available,” Mr Smith said.

“The 15 CAP members represent a diverse range of perspectives, interests and community groups which include local arts and culture, library, education, local business, open spaces, events, other community groups and families.”

Members of many community groups and organisations including Western Downs Libraries, Dalby Chamber of Commerce, Dalby Regional Arts Council, Gallery 107, Save Thomas Jack Park group, Dalby Little Players Theatre and more have been chosen to represent the community at the advisory panels.

“The new CAP will act in representation of the broader community, reflecting their varied interests and aspirations for new and revitalised cultural facilities and experiences in Dalby. They met for the first time last week to discuss the key topics in the community survey,” Mr Smith said.

“A comprehensive overview of the project and information about upcoming future community engagement opportunities for the community are available on Council’s Have Your Say platform, where people can also find all the information about the CAP and the ground we’re covering in the engagement workshops.”

In order to ensure Dalby’s youth have their say on the project council have also established a Youth Advisory Panel.

“In partnership with local high schools, council has also established a new Youth Advisory Panel to allow the future of our region – our young people – a voice in this project which will benefit them and other young people of the Western Downs for decades to come,” he said.

“The Youth Advisory Panel met for the first-time last Monday for an engaging workshop on all the potential sites for the Dalby Culture Centre. It was a fantastic night with plenty of energy in the room, and creative ideas and lively exchanges of views being shared. It’s great to see the next generation excited about this project and keen to be a part of the conversation.

“The Dalby Cultural Centre project presents an incredible opportunity to restore the town’s cultural offerings and pave the way for new cultural pursuits for future generations. Council is committed to engaging with the community on this exciting project throughout the entire process and delivering a Cultural Centre we can all be proud of.”

The public survey is now open and will close on Sunday, May 26.

For more information contact Council on 1300 268 624 (COUNCIL) or visit https://wdrc.au/dalby-cultural-centre.