Girdler, Maree (3C)

Waverley Pavilion

A partnership approach to creating a vibrant community hub

Where are we from?

nd Popular Close Beautiful 2Xx Gentrification to highest oftourist city open of coastline density destination space Sydney

Setting the scene – what’s this about?

• Design & construction of a recreation centre in the middle of a park • Much more than that • Transformation of desolate unloved space in to welcoming and vibrant community hub • Place for people to meet, play, catch up over coffee, enjoy the scenery and views

About the place 30’s “inter warof in No ‘Beautiful’ 1Underutilised Incricket the midst heritage ground functionalist" Sydney Waverley's building regionrecreation stand (Cricket hubfor and NSW) central park ready demolition Map

Where did the project come from?

• • • • • • • • •

Outdated Plan of Management Building ready for demolition Quick fix unsuitable Many interest groups and stakeholders Commitment to address many issues Holistic planning possible Master plan an essential element Concurrent with DA RNS identified need

Where to start

Sited at a cross roads in the park

Antisocial behavior, unloved space Unloved and vandalized

Where to start

Graffiti

Where to start

Lack of support Unique facilities recreation (toilets, opportunity bubblers, seating)

Where to start Need water to allow Overland issues Problems Many Need intersecting to with achieve illegal from the top of essential the hill emergency and accessible parking crossroads apathways, bonus and apathways headache! vehicle access

Where to start

Enhancement/improvement Access, Quality of safety, park conflicts amenity between & experience to trees uses& Residents surrounding nearby the building -lighting, signage planting

The magic brief •Sits lightly in the park

•Partially buried in the hill

•Views to the sea

•Civic room

•Cafe

•Sport storage areas

•Club rooms •Public toilets

•Multiple change rooms

•Sports court

•Parks equipment

•Parks & building staff areas

•Enhancing community life

The magic brief • Public art component • Fully accessible and sustainable use • Improved circulation • Better compliance • Addressing heritage • Extended use to many groups

Ground Floor

First Floor

The Team Project Internal Multi disciplinary steering consultation committee team

Designing the process • Universal agreement -something better had to happen • Council project control group • Whole park approach • Began a Master Plan before beginning a DA • Consultation and communication strategy • Identified all park stakeholders and how they could input

The Master Plan

Consultation and Communication Plan • Website images, key messages, Q&A, regular updates • Postcards to residents within a few blocks of the park prior to every consult • Online survey • Email contact and individual interviews with key stakeholders • User study re park but included building • Have a Say Days on site • Several Councillor consultation workshops

Consultation and Communication Plan • Ongoing contact and relationships with key stakeholders • Individual resident interest • Focus on sense of ownership, belonging • Focus on clubs • Key message of multi use • Strong sense of history, including timelines, photos

Key factors • The importance of genuine engagement • Need for integration • Balancing expectation and conflicting interests • Focus on key issues and parameters • Multi professional approach • Staging and timing • 2 following sub projects demonstrate this well

Telling the story of the place • Both projects bring a sense of the history and the importance of the place • Both brought together key people • Showed respect for the past owners and for the present • Identified families and made contact with them • Linked the old and the new • Helped everyone to tell their story • Engendered pride and a strong sense of recognition

Projects within a project – “Park Life” – remember when • “remember when" sessions based on shared memories where people drew and made art • Theme of bringing together all the elements of the shared history of the park • Artist Graham Chalcroft along with numerous local people • Beautiful inspirational image

Gregory Memorial Fountain • Damaged and vandalized drinking fountain • Dedicated to the memory of an international cricketer who died 1911 • Rededicated in 1966 - 3 cricketers from the club die in a level crossing accident on their way to a game

Before

After

What we achieved

• • • • •

Before

Commenced in 2008 After DA approved in 2009 Building commenced early 2010 Practical completion late 2011 Opened in June 2012

What we achieved

• CafÊ leased to commercial operator and opened in June 2012

What we achieved

• Community room leased by the electoral commission for the first 3 months!

What we achieved

• First indoor court facility • Sport court utilisation at 69%

What we achieved

• Vibrant community hub - children, mums, older people centering around the café and back of building • New playground to be developed • Strong sense of ownership

What we achieved

• • • •

Open light and views in all directions Sense of openness and elevation Visibility and lines of sight opened up Improved traffic movement

What we achieved

• Pedestrian safety • Changed relationships, new process, systems and ways of working • Greater usage

What we achieved

• A brand new space • Active and passive use

Where to next?

• Developing programs • Engaging with users through ongoing dialogue • Community development projects to build ownership with young people • Bringing in harder to reach less well represented groups