Springwood Town Centre Stakeholder Workshop
Thursday March 29th 2007
10.00am to 3.30pm
Springwood and District Community Club
Lawson Rd, Springwood Source (PDF 2.7 MB)
At its Ordinary Meeting of 30 January 2007, Council resolved to initiate a project to look at options to revitalise Springwood Town Centre. The project stems from concerns that, due to recent commercial development at Winmalee, the attraction of Springwood as a key shopping centre has declined.
The Council is a major landholder in Springwood, having ownership of three key sites that may be suitable for additional development or re-development. These sites are known as:
These sites are located within the heart of the Springwood commercial area, and represent a key opportunity for Council to initiate revitalisation. The sites are described in more detail in this information pack.
This project will consider the issues associated with the potential re-development of one or more of the three sites. Redevelopment will be aimed at replicating and/or enhancing the existing community facilities in Springwood. A key aspect of this project is the upcoming stakeholder workshop, at which Council will gather input from a broad range of community representatives with an interest in Springwood and/ or one of the three sites.
This Information Pack is designed to assist participants at the stakeholder workshop. It includes maps, basic information about the sites, summaries of studies Council has previously undertaken, and new studies. These are designed to give participants the basic information needed to discuss options for the three sites.
I encourage you to review the information in this pack prior to the stakeholder workshop. The feedback gathered at the workshop will provide vital input to Council's future decision-making. The outcomes of the workshop will help guide the preparation of tender documentation, which will in turn guide the revitalisation of Springwood Town Centre.
David McGowan Manager City Planning
Aerial Photograph: Springwood town centre (Not included in this copy)
Aerial Photo: Town centre and surrounds (Not included in this copy)
The Civic Centre site
The Civic Centre site is situated at 102-108 Macquarie Road, Springwood. It includes a number of facilities located at this address:
The Civic Centre and Neighbourhood Centre are located within the same building, on the western half of the site. On the eastern half of the site fronting Macquarie Road is Braemar House and Gallery. Stepping back from Macquarie Road, south of Braemar, lies the Library, then Council Offices. South of both the eastern and western parts of the Civic Centre site, fronting David Road, are the car parking areas. Eastern and western parts of the site are dissected by a driveway providing access from Macquarie Road to the rear car parking areas.
The Civic Centre is a major resource for the community, with the capacity of 600 people in the main hall, as well as the smaller halls seating up to an additional 150 people. It is the only large community performance space in the lower mountains.
There are number of regular users of the Civic Centre who have used the facilities up to 20 years on a regular basis and have a strong ownership of the centre. They include:
In addition, the Civic Centre is heavily booked both mid-week and on weekends by a range of community groups on a regular/casual basis. This includes uses such as gardening clubs, seniors dance group, yoga, community workshops, local history and studies groups and the like.
To give an indication of use, the large hall in the Civic Centre is booked out already for most weekends on both days in 2007. The car park behind the Hall is therefore also heavily used on both weekends and weekdays.
During the development of the Blue Mountains Cultural Strategy a number of issues and opportunities were identified in terms of the current Civic Centre and its role as performing arts and cultural venue. These issues will need to be considered if any re development proceeds at the Civic Centre site which incorporates any major changes to the Civic Centre.
A number of community groups are tenants and have offices/facilities in the Neighbourhood Centre . These include:
These services have a number of clients who visit the offices during the week.
The northern car park is located at 169-177 Macquarie Road, Springwood. It includes:
The southern car park is located at 50-62 Springwood Avenue and 180-184 Mac quarie Road. It includes all parking areas on these allotments; and excludes the exist ing town square which fronts Macquarie Road.
Council owns a number of other sites within Springwood Town Centre, some of which may be used in conjunction with development on the three sites identified above. These may provide alternate locations for community facilities and activities if one or more of the key other Council owned sites are re-developed. Other Council- owned land in the Town Centre includes Manners Park, Telecom Park, Rest Park and Buckland Park.
In addition, Council is in the process of acquiring the Integral site at 61 Springwood Avenue, Springwood. It is intended to utilise this site to provide community facilities for Springwood once an upgrade of the building is complete.
Key Milestones 2007 and Keeping the Community Informed
At its Ordinary Meeting of 30 January 2007, when Council resolved to look at options to potentially re-developed key Council owned sites in Springwood, Council resolved that outcomes should be achieved by December 2007. The following milestones have been identified in order to achieve outcomes by this date. The project can be divided into four phases:
More detail on the project milestones can be found overleaf
The project has very tight timeframes which limit the opportunity for extensive community consultation. Key events in the project milestones where the community can have an input are identified in bold overleaf. This includes a number of Council Reports at key points in the project. In addition it is proposed to update the community via regular press releases and updates. Participants at the workshop, who wish to be kept informed about the progress of the project via updates are encouraged to leave their details as provided on the Workshop Post Evaluation Forms.
The following information is provided as a guide only. No person should rely wholly on the following planning information and the attached maps.
The Civic Centre site, the northern car park and the southern car park are all zoned 'Village- Town Centre' under Blue Mountains Local Environmental Plan 2005 (LEP 2005). The zoning map is included is this information pack. The objectives of the Village - Town Centre zone are stated in clause 18 of LEP 2005 as follows:
The 'Village - Town Centre' zone allows development of a wide range of land uses, with the consent of Council. The list below provides a guide to the land uses that are permitted, but is not comprehensive. For a comprehensive list, please refer to clause 32 (Land Use Matrix) of LEP 2005.
In addition to the uses listed above, the Civic Centre site has a "special use" designation, as shown on the "Heritage Items and Special Uses" map included in this information pack. Development for the purpose of a "public building or facility" may be erected on this site, subject to Council consent and the relevant provisions of LEP 2005. Clause 126 of LEP 2005 (Special Use) provides the relevant parameters for development for the purpose of a special use. Under subclause (4), development may be carried out for the purpose of a special use, even if it contravenes the precinct controls, provided that the consent authority is satisfied that the development complies with the relevant zone objectives (copied above) and the objectives for a special use (refer to LEP 2005 clause 126(2)).
The three sites are located within the precinct named "Springwood Precinct VTC SP01 - Village Town Centre Precinct" under LEP 2005. Consequently, there are unique development controls that apply to the sites. For the full text of precinct controls, refer to LEP 2005, Schedule 1, Part 9 (Springwood Village), Division 1 (Springwood Precinct VTC-SP01 - Village Town Centre Precinct). A summary of the key controls is provided below.
Development on the three sites must comply with the precinct objectives in achieving the precinct vision statement. The vision statement and objectives for the precinct are included overleaf.
New buildings are required to fit within a given "envelope", the size of which is determined by controls regarding height, setback and site coverage.
Buildings may be a maximum of 12m, limited to 9m at eaves.
However, where a building has external walls fronting a public place, those walls may be a maximum of 7.5m in height and may increase in height with distance from the public place, provided they are within a 45 degree angle projected from 7.5m above the boundary to the public place. A public place is defined and includes public pathways, footpaths, roads, carparks and parks.
Development is required to have a setback of 0m, meaning buildings are built to the allotment boundaries. However, for buildings fronting Springwood Ave the setback is to be 6m, and is required to be landscaped.
Buildings may cover 100% of the total allotment area. However for buildings on an allotment with frontage to Springwood Avenue, the maximum site cover is 70% of the total allotment area.
The following table shows how other planning constraints affect development opportunities on the three sites. These include environmental, heritage and servicing factors.
Environmental: Environmental constraints on the sites are shown by the application of "Protected Areas". These are minor for each of the three sites, and are described in the table below. The location of environmental constraints is shown on the map titled "Protected Areas" overleaf.
Heritage: The "Heritage Items and Special Uses" map shows that part of the Civic Centre site is designated a heritage item, due mainly to the presence of Braemar Historic House and Gallery. Further detail is provided in the table below and within the Heritage Inventory Form (overleaf).
It will also add time and cost for a developer.
Zoning map (Not provided in this copy)
Map: Protected areas (Not provided in this copy)
Map: Heritage items (Not provided in this copy)
See: Heritage inventory (PDF 1.6 MB)
Reference map: Public land (Not provided in this copy)
All land vested in a council must be classified as either "community" or "operational".
The classification will generally be achieved by a local environmental plan but may, in some circumstances, be achieved by resolution of the council.
The purpose of classification is to identify clearly that land which should be kept for use by the general public (community) and that land which need not (operational). The major consequence of classification is that it determines the ease or difficulty with which land may be alienated by sale, leasing or some other means.
Community land must not be sold. Community land must not be leased or licensed for more than 21 years and may only be leased or licensed for more than 5 years if public notice of the proposed lease or licence is given. No such restrictions apply to operational land.
Community land would ordinarily comprise land such as a public park. Operational land would ordinarily comprise land held as a temporary asset or as an investment, land which facilitates the carrying out by a council of its functions or land which may not be open to the general public, such as a works depot or a council garage.
The use and management of community land is to be regulated by a plan of management. Until a plan of management is adopted, the nature and use of the land must not change.
Council can only lease community land for uses such as maternity welfare centres, infant welfare centres, kindergartens, nurseries, child care centres, family day-care centres, surf life saving clubs, restaurants or refreshment kiosks or for a residential purpose in relation to housing owned by the council.
Classification or reclassification of land does not affect any estate or interest a council has in the land.
Land owned or controlled by councils consists of
(It is this other land that the Local Government Act defines to be public land.)
MANAGEMENT PLAN REQUIRED?
NO
Council engaged Hill PDA to provide preliminary advice on the economic opportunities and constraints for development on each of the three sites. This advice provides a market assessment and identification of key issues as Stage 1 of the economic study commissioned by Council. A copy of this advice follows.
When options for development are firmer, Hill PDA will undertake Stage 2 of the economic study. This will provide a detailed financial assessment of the preferred development option.
See: Hill PDA economic advice: Stage 1 (PDF 358 KB)
Council engaged GHD to provide preliminary advice on the traffic-related opportunities and constraints for development on each of the three sites. This advice provides a summary of existing conditions, and preliminary analysis of the travel characteristics of commercial, residential and retail land uses. It forms Stage 1 of the traffic study commissioned by Council. A copy of this advice follows.
When options for development are firmer, GHD will undertake Stage 2 of the traffic study. This will provide a detailed traffic assessment of the preferred development option.
See: GHD traffic report: Stage 1
This section provides a brief synopsis of several key documents which set the background to Council's recent work in Springwood. Documents are presented in chronological order, with the earliest studies first. Please contact Council if you wish to purchase a copy of any of any of these documents.
Please note that this section is limited to the most recent and relevant documents, and is not a comprehensive literature review. There are a broad range of documents that will be of relevance, and these will be reviewed by Council and its consultants during the course of the project.
The Springwood Town Centre Study was conducted to "examine all aspects of the Springwood Town Centre, and provide guidelines for its future development" (page i). It involved workshops with local community representatives, and detailed studies into existing land use, traffic circulation, parking, retail trade catchment area, future business prospects, visual qualities and urban design characteristics of the centre.
As a result of these studies, the strengths and weaknesses of the town centre were analysed and a number of recommendations were made. These include:
See: Purdon report (first section)
The Masterplan was developed to meet the following objectives:
(quoted from Coneybeare Morrison & Partners et al, 1995, page 1)
Significant community consultation was undertaken for the Masterplan. The resulting document provides a comprehensive overview of constraints and opportunities in the town centre, along with transport and economic issues. The concept masterplan provides a framework for enhancement of the public domain and establishes a vision for future development of the town centre. It has implications for a range of activities to improve the town centre, including landscaping, urban design, circulation improvements for pedestrian and vehicle traffic, streetscape improvements, and public art.
Many of the recommended activities have been achieved. Council staff have recently reviewed the Masterplan to determine what works are outstanding. A summary of this review will be distributed at the Stakeholder Workshop.
This study aimed to provide an overall traffic strategy for the Springwood area. It forms part of the background to Council's Environmental Management Plan No.2, the environmental study underpinning LEP 2005. It covered areas including Hawkesbury Road, the Great Western Highway, David Road, and Springwood Town Centre. It also considered access routes between Springwood Town Centre and the Highway.
HillPDA was commissioned to conduct an economic viability study into the redevelopment of Council owned land, in accordance with the possibilities outlined in the Springwood Town Centre Masterplan (Coneybeare Morrison & Partners et al, 1995).
The study considered five development options for the southern and northern car parks. Recommendations arising from the study can be summarised as follows:
In 2001 Council was part-way through the preparation of Blue Mountains Local Environmental Plan 2005 (LEP 2005). The preparation of LEP 2005 involved extensive studies into the "Core Village Areas" of ten key towns and villages in the Blue Mountains. Council engaged consultant Brett Newbold to help develop a new planning scheme for the Core Village Areas.
The Springwood Core Village Planning Study focussed on developing a future planning framework for the Springwood Town Centre. A community workshop was held to assist this process, on 13 June 2001. Discussions about the character and future development of the town centre then informed the preparation of planning controls. This culminated in a report and the preparation of planning provisions for Springwood, which were prepared, exhibited and finalised as a part of LEP 2005.
This process resulted in the production of precinct controls for the Springwood Village Town Centre, which are now contained in Schedule 1 of LEP 2005. A summary of the precinct controls is contained in the section of this Information Pack entitled "Planning Requirements".
This report was jointly funded by Council and the RTA, to investigate possible improvements to both intersections of the Great Western Highway with Hawkesbury Road. The study considered short, medium and long-term options, ranging from minor alterations to the current George Street / Highway intersection, to reconstruction of the Hawkesbury Road bridge to accommodate on and off ramps from the Great Western Highway.
The study was placed on exhibition in June 2002, and a large number of submissions were received. Most supported the long term option involving the construction of on and off ramps from the Highway. However, the RTA responded that this option would involve considerable additional cost, due to the need to replace the existing Hawkesbury Road bridge deck, and relocate existing railway services. This option was not supported at the time. The RTA committed to investigate alternative options for treatment of the Hawkesbury Road / Macquarie Road intersection, and discuss these with Council later in 2002. This matter was reported to Council at its meeting of 10 September 2002.
This study provides a review of parking, traffic, public transport and pedestrian issues within 13 town precincts across the Blue Mountains. It aims to review previous data, evaluate the currency of previous reports, and identify further actions for each town precinct.
For the Springwood Town Centre, the study identifies the major traffic issues raised in previous reports and through consultation. It summarises existing issues around a variety of transport modes, and makes the following recommendations:
In 2004, Council was approached by a developer with a draft proposal for development of Council-owned land in the Springwood Town Centre. At the same time, Council was considering the future use of the former Scout Hall site, situated adjacent to the Northern Car Park, which it had purchased for a rate determined by the site's potential for commercial development. These events prompted a series of investigations to determine Council's options and preferences for future development of land under its ownership and management in the town centre.
Council engaged a property facilitator to assist its investigations. A series of Councillor workshops were held to clarify Council's aims and priorities for the Springwood Town Centre. In particular, development of Council land holdings in the Southern Car Park and the Northern Car Park was under consideration. Issues of retail leakage and the need to develop an attractive town centre "lifestyle precinct", in which to live, work and play, were central. Councillors attended a field trip to regional centres in January 2005 to consider aspects of successful small towns.
The project progressed to adoption of a project plan and draft vision for the town centre. However, in the report to Council on 31 May 2005, the need to provide funding was identified. The project was halted indefinitely until funding could be found. See: 31 May 2005 Council meeting: Item 6: Council land in Springwood Town Centre