Home	Springwood Forum

ITEM NO: 23
SUBJECT: AMENDED PROGRAM FOR SPRINGWOOD TOWN CENTRE PROJECT
FILE NO: F04400 - 10/5466
Management Plan Link
Principal Activity: Providing Good Government Service: Strategic Planning for the City
Project: Springwood Town Centre
Source (PDF)

Item 23: Amended program for Springwood town centre project

Recommendations:

That the Council notes the two options for an amended program for delivery of the Springwood Town Centre Project outlined in this report, and resolves that the dates included in the part resolution of Minute No 572 on 15 December 2009 are amended in accordance with Option A as follows:

That a report on the requirements for provision of community and cultural facilities and proposed further consultation is brought to the Council in April 2010 and that this report also details the options available to the Council on the timing of the community poll;
That the Council proceeds to provide information and to consult with the community on the requirements and the options for the provision of improved community and cultural facilities in Springwood Town Centre and that the results of this are reported to the Council in April 2010; and
That the reports detailing the results of community consultation on priorities for community facility improvements and the preparation of documentation for the Request for Detailed Proposals (RDP) Part 1 be presented to a Special Council Meeting to be held in Springwood in late May 2010.

Report by Group Manager, Community & Corporate

Reason for report

This report presents options to amend the program for delivery of the Springwood Town Centre Project. The program reported on 15 December 2009 was delayed in commencement due to the rescission motion on this resolution and it is now no longer possible to deliver the necessary information to the meetings as resolved. The Council also stated a desire to debate the timing of conducting a community opinion poll on the project. The two main options for timing of the poll which have been identified are prior to Stage 2 of the tender process being the Request for Detailed Proposals, or midway through the tender process after the assessment of Part 1 of the Request for Detailed Proposals.

Background

The Council resolved on 15 December 2009 to proceed with the Springwood Town Centre Project as follows:

That the Council immediately places the consultant report "Springwood Cultural and Community Facilities and Services - Needs Assessment" on the Council website and printed copies in Council offices for community viewing as part of the consultative process;
That the priorities identified in the "Springwood Cultural and Community Facilities and Services - Needs Assessment report" are further researched and expanded on to provide evidence that will enable informed community comment as input into the decision making processes of the Council for improved community and cultural facilities that could potentially be delivered by the Springwood Town Centre Project;
That a report on the requirements for provision of community and cultural facilities and proposed further consultation is brought to the Council in February 2010 and that this report also details the options available to the Council on the timing of the community poll;
That the Council proceeds to provide information and to consult with the community on the requirements and the options for the provision of improved community and cultural facilities in Springwood Town Centre and that the results of this are reported to the Council in April 2010;
That the "Vision for Springwood" endorsed by Councillors McLaren, Myles, Greenhill, Creed, Hamilton and Searle be made available to the public on the Council website; and
That the reports detailing the results of community consultation on priorities for community facility improvements and the preparation of documentation for the Request for Detailed Proposals (RDP) Stage 1 be presented to a Special Council Meeting to be held in Springwood on Tuesday 4 May 2010.

(Minute No. 572)

Options for an Amended Program for the Springwood Project

At the Council meeting of 15 December 2009 there was a debate among the Councillors around the preferred stage within the program to conduct the proposed community opinion poll. It was agreed that this debate would continue in February 2010, in accordance with the resolution. The program informing this resolution has now been reviewed and consequently shows options for timing of the poll; allows for the delays over the holiday period, and in Option A (poll on preferred proposal from tender after RDP Part 1 assessed) provides an additional 4 weeks to the period to seek Request for Detailed Proposals (in keeping with industry standards).

A summary of the revised program options is presented in Tables 1 and 2 below.

Option A proceeds to a community opinion poll midway in Stage 2 of the tender after the Request for Detailed Proposals Part 1 has been assessed. The poll would be on the delivery options for upgrading community and cultural facilities and include specific details on the outcomes available through the preferred proposal/s.

Option B undertakes a community opinion poll prior to proceeding to Stage 2 of the tender process. The poll would be on the general delivery options for upgrading community and cultural facilities.

Dates for meetings have yet to be set as it is expected that the Council will require these to be held in Springwood.

Table 1: Springwood Town Centre Project -Amended Program 2010 / 2011:
Option A including community opinion poll on options for delivery of upgraded public facilities including outcomes available through the preferred proposal/s conducted after assessment of part 1 of Stage 2 of tender process (Request for Detailed Proposals Part 1)

Matters for consideration		Method of consultation / delivery	Time frame	Report to the Council
1.	Provision of information on the needs for community and cultural facilities in Springwood and release of consultant report	Consultant Report from October 2009 placed on the Council website and in libraries, followed by other information as it becomes available	January and ongoing
2.	Report amended program to the Council and seek amended time lines for current Council resolution	EMT [Executive Management Team] considers program options Email to Councillors in January	January	Report 2 February
3.	Council considers timing for consulting with the community by way of poll on the process and outcomes of the Project: Design process for representative survey of community opinion on priorities (2 stages including initial survey on priorities for provision in April and poll on proposed outcomes of preferred proposal/s in November 2010)	Expert advice sought on options for polling before and after commencement of stage 2 of the tender process (RDP Part1) with independent consultant to design and conduct survey and to design and supervise broader consultation processes Councillor input and subsequent briefing. Council debate at Council meeting	February - March	Councillor briefings 16 February and 23 March Council report early April
4.	Documentation of requirements for community and cultural facilities and other requirements for the development of each site (including feasibility and costs).	Consultant engaged to prepare report Stakeholder and Councillor input sought	Late January to mid March	Councillor Briefing 23 March Report early April
5.	Conduct community consultation on priorities for community facility improvements to inform way forward.	To be established within 4 (above). Likely to include phone survey of a representative sample, complemented by a paper and online survey / blog page on Council website.	April	Councillor Briefing 4 May (Katoomba) Report late May in Springwood
6.	Prepare documentation for Request for Detailed Proposals (RDP) - Stage 1.	External consultants to provide expert advice in preparation of tender documents and probity plan.	April / May	Councillor Briefing on tender process and documentation 1 June Confidential Report 8 June
7.	Seek Requests for Detailed Proposals (RDP) Part 1 - input from internal advisers (Major Projects) indicates industry standard of 10 to 12 weeks to respond to such calls.	3 proponents invited to formally submit RDP Part 1.	June / August	Confidential tender process
8	Tender panel assessment of RDP: Part 1: confidential process.	Tender panel composition and evaluation process managed in accordance with Council policy and NSW Government guidelines.	September	Councillor Briefing 5 October (Springwood) Confidential Report 12 October
9	Review design of community opinion poll process.	Independent consultant to design and conduct process.	Initial design prepared in February/ March for April 5 meeting and process reviewed September.	Councillor briefing on poll process and question: 5 October Report 12 October
10	Conduct community consultation on proposed outcomes of preferred proposal/s from RDP Part 1	Information provided to community on proposed outcomes of the preferred proposal/s; Community opinion poll on proposal/s conducted after information has been made available	October / November	Councillor briefing on results of consultation 30 November Report 14 December
11	Decision to invite proponent/s to proceed to RDP Part 2 of tender process depending upon outcomes of the poll and on Council and community satisfaction with one or more of the detailed proposals.
12.	Seek RDP Part 2	Preferred proposal/s selected to continue.	March to May 2011	Council report July 2011.

Table 2: Springwood Town Centre Project -Amended Program 2010 / 2011:
Option B including community opinion poll on general options for delivery of upgraded public facilities conducted prior to proceeding to Stage 2 of tender process (being Request for Detailed Proposals)

Matters for consideration		Method of consultation / delivery	Time frame	Report to the Council
1.	Provision of information on the needs for community and cultural facilities in Springwood and release of consultant report	Consultant Report from October 2009 placed on the Council website and in libraries, followed by other information as it becomes available	January and ongoing
2.	Report amended program to the Council and seek amended time lines for current Council resolution	EMT consider program Email to Councillors in January	January	Report 2 February
3.	Council debate on timing for consulting with the community by way of poll on the process and outcomes of Springwood Project:	Consultant advice prepared on options for polling before and after commencement of Stage 2 of the tender process. Independent consultant to design conduct community consultation and poll process and broader community consultation processes; with separate proposal to conduct and report on consultation processes Councillor input and then briefing. Council debate at Council meeting 6 April		Councillor briefings 16 February and 23 March Council report early April
4.	Documentation of requirements for community and cultural facilities and other requirements for the development of each site (including feasibility and costs).	Consultant engaged to prepare report Stakeholder and Councillor input sought	Late January to mid March	Councillor Briefing 23 March Report early April
5.	Information provided to community on delivery options and proposed outcomes for community and cultural facilities and broad commercial/ retail options; Community poll conducted.	Independent consultant conducts poll process and provides report on outcomes. provides report on outcomes	April / May / June	Councillor briefing on results of consultation 15 June Report 29 June 2011
6.	Next steps will be depending on outcomes of community poll and Council decision on way forward.

Financial implications for the Council

There has been no change to the financial matters as reported on 15 December 2009. Cost estimates to proceed with the project will be reported on 6 April 2010.

Legal and risk management issues for the Council

There has been no change to the legal and risk matters reported on 15 December 2009.

External consultation

No external consultation has been undertaken since the report of 15 December 2009.

Conclusion

Two options for amending the program for delivery of the Springwood Town Centre Project are presented for the consideration of the Council. The key differences between Options A and B is the timing of a community opinion poll on the delivery routes for upgrading of public facilities. Changes are recommended to the dates in part resolution Minute No. 572 of15 December 2009 in accordance with the program outlined in Table 1 of this report (Option A).