Planning a new home for community services in Hampton

Work has commenced to identify the best way to accommodate a range of community services in Hampton.

Bayside Mayor, Cr Laurence Evans said Council’s community facilities in Hampton were built in the 1950s or earlier and no longer meet the needs of residents.

“Council’s ageing buildings are constraining the quality of services on offer in Hampton. Many of the buildings are more than 60 years old and reflect the needs of the community back then, not today,” he said.

“We want to develop a plan to create adaptable, contemporary spaces to house a range of community services in Hampton that can accommodate changing community needs,” Cr Evans said.

“This includes planning for a potential new home for the Hampton community centre, library, maternal and child health services as well as modern, flexible spaces for seniors and learning of all ages.”

“We have initially spoken with current users of Council’s buildings in Hampton. This has helped us understand the current services, programs and activities that run from each building compared to the current and future needs of the community.”

Groups consulted to date include the management committees of Hampton Community Centre, Hampton Senior Citizens Centre and Hampton Playhouse as well as internal Council services such as libraries and maternal and child health experts. The University of the Third Age (U3A), while not currently located in Hampton, was also consulted due to the organisation’s growing membership in Bayside and its desire for a location in Hampton.

“We know that Hampton community centre in particular, falls well short of the floor space and facilities needed in a modern 21st century community facility. We want to give the Hampton community the facilities they need now and into the future,” Cr Evans said.

“We now want to involve the wider community in developing a masterplan for Council owned properties and services in Hampton. This will help us identify how to best use the various council owned properties located within the central Hampton area.” Cr Evans said.

Public consultation is expected later in 2018/early 2019 and will help to inform the development of a masterplan for the public land within the Hampton Street Major Activity Centre.

The aim of the masterplan is to guide the future development of council owned property and the provision of integrated services within the Hampton Street Major Activity Centre.

Background

Bayside City Council owns a range of property in the Hampton Street Major Activity Centre including: •    Hampton Community Centre, Hampton Playhouse and former Scout Hall site adjacent to Hampton railway station; •    Hampton Library and Hampton Senior Citizens Centre on Service Street; •    Hampton Maternal and Child Health Centre (MCH) at 483 Hampton Street; and •    Various car parks.