Buildings for Randwick

There are 65 proposed projects/works in the total Buildings for our Community program. These include renovating community centres, amenities blocks and buildings with concrete cancer as well as some new buildings. You can see the full list of 65 projects/works, their location and their associated costs in the Buildings for Randwick Library section of this site and on Randwick City Council's website.

The groups of proposed projects are:

Major renovations:

• Upgrade and renew amenities blocks (toilets, change rooms and kiosk facilities) in our parks, beaches and sporting fields
• Renovate the senior citizens’ centres at Clovelly and Maroubra Junction and the existing halls at Matraville, Clovelly and South Matraville
• Upgrade the Council-owned buildings for child care and pre-school education
• Fix the concrete cancer problems in existing buildings such as the surf clubs
• Provide new or improved toilet facilities in Matraville, Malabar Junction and Kingsford town centres
• Restore our heritage listed Town Hall and other heritage monuments
• Upgrade Heffron Park indoor sports centre and the gymnastics facility

New buildings:

• Construct three new community centres at Coogee, Maroubra, Kensington
• Construct youth facilities in the La Perouse/Chifley area
• Construct a new child care centre in Popplewell Park, South Coogee
• Upgrade the Des Renford Aquatic Centre and build new fitness studio, multi-purpose room and crèche to generate additional income to improve the Centre’s financial sustainability

Council can:

• carry out the full seven year Buildings for our Community program,
• or reduce or modify the program,
• or not to go ahead with the Buildings for our Community program, but do the work over 50 years or more, by progressively reducing funding to current services and programs. 

In the FAQs there is information on the possible ways of paying for a full or a modified Buildings for our Community program. These are:

• having a special 2.71% levy on rates for three years
• going into debt
• cutting services and programs
• increasing user fees and charges
• engaging in speculative entrepreneurial activity 

Council owned multi-purpose community centres are used by play groups, seniors, social and sporting groups; as meeting rooms for the community, musical or dance rehearsals, support services such as counselling; and for classes such as dance, yoga, multi-media and art.

Randwick City has community centres at Randwick and at Little Bay. The Buildings for our Community program proposes three new community centres - at Coogee, Maroubra Beach and Kensington – as well as youth facilities in the La Perouse/Chifley area.

With funding from the Buildings for our Community program these centres can be built within seven years. Without funding from the Buildings for our Community program it will take up to 50 years to build all these community centres.

Subsidising pensioners, so that they did not have to pay the building levy of 2.71%, would mean other rate payers paying an approximately 0.3% additional onto the 2.71% levy.

Link to on-line survey

Community consultation is taking place from now to 26 March 2010. Information packs and questionnaires are being distributed to all residents. Council is meeting with community and stakeholder groups and is also holding externally facilitated focus groups and a deliberative engagement workshop with a randomly selected cross section of the community.

You can complete the feedback questionnaire, send an email or letter, or join our online blog. All feedback will be recorded and reported to the Council in March or April 2010. If the Council decides to submit an application to the Department of Local Government, the application will reflect the feedback from the community.

There will be another opportunity for public feedback when the draft Management Plan 2010-13 is placed on public exhibition during May 2010.

Finally, each individual project will be subject to detailed design and consultation before its implementation.