PROJECT PURPOSE & PROCESS

• Why is Council undertaking the project?

• The Anglesea Community and Health Hub in McMillan St is invaluable for the Anglesea community, providing access to critical health and a range of community services.

  Several buildings in the precinct are nearing the end of their structural life and there is some duplication of services and programs. The Senior Citizen building is now closed, having been assessed by an expert as being in very or extremely poor condition. Many of the facilities are not fit for their purposes in delivering services and programs, such as the Anglesea Community House.

  We’ve heard from many community members, through two rounds of community engagement, that the existing conditions including the limited capacity of buildings, is negatively impacting service delivery. This data confirms the decision to undertake a long-term plan for the precinct that meets community needs and modern standards now and for the future.

• Can maintenance and upgrades to existing buildings meet the future needs of the community?

• The evidence and data gathered to date from technical experts and community surveys indicates that even with upgrades and maintenance, many of the existing buildings in the precinct do not meet the current needs of the community and will not meet projected future requirements.

• What are the objectives for the project?

• The primary objective of this project is for Council and community to develop a shared vision for the site, creating buildings and spaces that are designed and fit for their purpose, and able to more effectively meet current and future needs.

  With an agreed vision, Council and the community can then work together to implement it through a staged approach, over a period of time.

• Has a business case been completed for the redevelopment?

• The concept plan process manages initial investigations and lays the foundations for the project, including articulating a vision for the community. A business case, if required, demonstrates investment rationale to help the project achieve funding.

  A business case has not been developed as the concept plan has not yet been resolved. Once a concept plan is resolved, more detailed analysis can be undertaken on project scoping, including costs along with implementation and potential funding options. The role of a business case would be to establish investment rationale to help the project achieve funding.

• ​How has the project been funded so far?

• Council was successful in attracting $200,000 of the Victorian Government’s Investment Fast Track funding and Council provided a $50,000 contribution.
  

  The decision to apply for funding and allocate $50,000 towards the project was resolved by the Council at its meeting on 23 August 2022. A link to the minutes can be found here (refer to Agenda Item 4.7)

COMMUNITY & HEALTH FACILITIES

• ​What health facilities are provided in the precinct?

• Barwon Health own land within the precinct which includes the Ambulance Victoria building, Barwon Health Social Services and Anglesea Medical Centre.
  

  Anglesea Medical Centre is a privately run general practice facility, which leases the building from Barwon Health.

HOUSING

• ​Why does Council see a need for affordable housing in Anglesea?

• The shortage of long-term rental accommodation for key workers in coastal towns is well-supported by the data.
  

  In May 2021 Council declared a key worker accommodation crisis in recognition of how a lack of affordable accommodation was impacting on the economy and sustainability of local communities. A link to the minutes of this meeting can be found here. Refer to Agenda Item 10.1 under Notice of Motions.

  A survey of coastal Surf Coast Shire businesses in July-August 2021 found that of the 24 Anglesea based businesses, over 70% found it difficult to find staff year-round and during the summer period. Many cited the issues of no local workers available and a lack of affordable and available rental accommodation making it difficult to recruit staff.

  Many employees are having to make lengthy commutes to their jobs in Anglesea. Businesses who cannot find staff are having to reduce their hours of operation which impacts their viability.

  Data from a number of sources identified that during the COVID era private rental vacancy rates dropped to less than 0.6% and median rents increased by 33% (from $435 to $650 per week). Median house prices reached $1,885,000 (Oct-Dec 2022). Recent reports indicate that the median weekly rent for a house on the Surf Coast is still at $650, compared to Melbourne’s median of $550.

  Just under 20% of residents in Anglesea rent and 30% are purchasing their properties (ie they have mortgage). Based on earnings and affordable housing being calculated at 30% of income, it is likely that a high proportion in these groups would be experiencing mortgage or rental stress.

• ​How would the proposed rental housing on the site be owned and managed?

• For key worker housing to be delivered in the precinct, Council would retain ownership of the land and partner with an accredited party who would deliver and manage affordable rental housing, specifically for key workers required in the town year-round.
  

  The delivery and management model for the affordable housing for key workers is being investigated, with Council exploring a partnership with an organisation legally able to manage affordable rental housing.

• ​Why is this site proposed for local key worker affordable housing and has the Council explored other opportunities for affordable key worker housing in Anglesea?

• To begin to address the housing shortfall, multiple sites are needed to deliver affordable housing options. Affordable housing on sites not owned by Council need to be encouraged and facilitated where appropriate. However, it is acknowledged that there are limited sites in Anglesea that will help address this affordability issue.
  

  An analysis of 90 parcels of Crown and Council-owned land across the shire, identified that other sites in Anglesea were not suitable as they were in planning zones and overlays that won’t permit residential development due to matters such as high bushfire risk and significant environmental and cultural landscapes.

  As the Anglesea Community and Health Hub is a publicly owned site it represents a significant opportunity to make a small but impactful contribution to the local affordable rental housing and key worker accommodation issue.

  The precinct is large – over 17,000m2, it is within the settlement boundaries, the zoning allows for residential, and any proposed community, health and housing facilities would be developed to be consistent with Anglesea's coastal character. Additionally, the site is close to shops and services, employment hubs, open green space and public transport, so convenient for key workers to access employment.

• ​What is the difference between social and affordable housing and which is proposed for this site?

• Both social and affordable housing include elements of eligibility and subsidy which are set through government policy.
  

  Affordable Housing is defined under the Planning and Environment Act 1987 as housing that is affordable, comprising no more than 30% of the income of low and moderate earning households.

  Social housing includes public housing, which is state government owned and managed housing.

  While Council does acknowledge that there is also a need for social housing in the region, this project is specifically and only exploring the inclusion of affordable rental housing at the precinct.

• ​Who would be eligible to live in the affordable rental housing?

• The proposed dwellings would house local key workers in roles needed year-round: that is people who live and work in Anglesea permanently. While there is a shortage of accommodation for seasonal workers in tourism-based who need shorter term peak season accommodation, housing for this need is not being considered for this precinct.
  

  Key workers are often described as employees who provide services which are essential for communities to function – particularly in the health and education sectors. In our Surf Coast region the definition encompasses a range of occupations including teachers, doctors, nurses, health care workers and pharmacists.

  It can also include year-round workers who work as service providers in the hospitality, tourism, retail sectors; and workers in key local industries including agriculture, renewable energy, forestry, and construction.

• ​Is the proposed area for affordable housing zoned appropriately?

• The current zoning for the site allows for residential development and community and health facilities. Once a concept plan is finalised, the appropriate process for planning approval will be determined.
  

• Why wasn’t the rental housing located near Melaleuca Lane (where the kinder currently is) in the draft concept plan?

• We have continually heard from kinder families that they want to retain the kinder facility in is current location given it was renovated about 10 years ago and it can meet their current and future needs. We have also been advised that there is no certainty that funding will be provided by the state government to move the kinder to the school site. Given all this, the draft concept plan retains the functioning kinder building in its current position, instead of removing and relocating it to provide space for future rental housing.

• ​If affordable housing is a state and federal government matter, why is Council considering key worker housing in a community and health precinct?

• Addressing the problem of access to affordable housing requires a multi-faceted approach from all levels of government. Council investigating the provision of rental housing for key workers on sites it owns is one way to address the issue. This is a unique opportunity to control the outcome in terms of ensuring that affordable rental housing is provided for key workers critical to Anglesea.
  

  A number of local governments have also been working in this space. Some examples include:

  • Hobsons Bay Council has established the Hobsons Bay Affordable Housing Trust and includes consideration of the use of Council-owned land.
  • Mt Alexander Shire is establishing a not-for-profit affordable housing trust to enable Council to partner with housing providers to deliver social and affordable housing on council land.
  • City of Melbourne has completed work to define key workers for the purpose of being able to allocate rental housing in projects developed on its own land.
  • Alpine Shire has identified government and community owned land with the potential for development of key worker housing.
• How will the precinct provide for future expansion of community facilities if some of the land is used for housing?

• It is possible for the precinct to deliver key worker affordable rental housing and the required community facilities to meet the current and future needs of the community. The achievement of these objectives will be explored and tested through the co-design phase of the project.

  The development of a concept plan for the precinct offers an opportunity to improve the design and layout of the precinct which can improve land use efficiency.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• How has the community been informed about the project?

• Ratepayers and residents have been informed about this project via Council’s newsletter which is delivered with rates notices, a postcard drop, our website, email updates to website subscribers, newspaper articles and ads, community newsletters, posts on social media as well as through local community networks and newsletters. We’ve also advertised the process in the precinct itself as well as the windows and counters of local businesses and organisations.

  We are acutely aware that the Anglesea community hold great affection for the McMillan Street precinct and have great interest in this project.

  Across two phases of engagement, 220 residents completed surveys: 125 in the first phase in April 2023 and 122 in the second phase in October 2023. Approximately 20% of first phase respondents also completed a second phase survey. We also received 36 submissions during the second phase consultation, and met individually with dozens of community members via precinct group committees, ‘friends of’ members and volunteers.

• ​What level of influence will community have?

• Community members will have an opportunity to provide input during each phase of the project.
  

  Your ideas and input are vitally important as we want to make sure the design reflects community needs and views. A community co-design group has been established to develop a draft concept design for the precinct, which the wider community will be invited to provide feedback on.

  There are also community representatives in the Project Control Group, Project Steering Group and Community Reference Group.

IMPLEMENTATION

• ​How will the project be implemented and staged?

• Any planned works are intended to be implemented in stages over a period of years. There are many factors that will influence how this project could be implemented and staged, including investment and funding opportunities.
  

  Once a concept plan is endorsed by the Council, this will be used to identify potential funding sources and set the implementation plan.

  A key principle in addressing staging concerns is to ensure the uninterrupted operation of existing on-site services and activities that support the community. These staging and implementation options will be further investigated as the project progresses.

• What was Council’s objective in selecting the community co-design group?

• Our objective was to undertake a fair and transparent process to select a community representative group from those that submitted an expression of interest.

  Participants needed to represent diverse ages, genders, lived experiences and connections to the precinct to participate in co-design workshops and develop a draft concept plan for the precinct.

• How many people applied via the expression of interest process?

• 61

• How many people were invited to be part of the community co-design group?

• Community co-design group places have been offered to:

  • 12 McMillan Street precinct user group and key interest group representatives.
  • 27 community member representatives.
• How were the 12 precinct user group and key interest group representatives selected?

• Precinct user groups such as:

  • Anglesea Medical Clinic
  • Barwon Health
  • Anglesea Community House
  • ANGAIR

  and key community interest groups including

  • Preserve Anglesea Community Hub
  • Business Anglesea
  • Housing Challenge 3230
  • Anglesea Community Network

  were invited to each nominate one representative.

  Twelve places were allocated for these representatives.

• How were the 27 community member representatives selected?

• The 27 community participants were chosen at random from demographic characteristics of age and gender in the first instance. Where possible, we aimed to achieve a diversity of housing tenure status, location to the precinct and how people use the precinct. The random selection process was run once and was final.

  During the random selection the names of submitters were hidden until the random selection was complete.

  Submitters who didn’t meet mandatory criteria (being able to attend workshops 1 and 2) were removed from the process.

• What is the breakdown of community member representatives (this doesn’t include user group and key interest group representatives):

• Aged under 44 years: 13 people

  Aged 45 years and over: 14 people

  Males: 10

  Females: 17

  Renting: 6

  Part-time residents: 3

  Living in close proximity to McMillan Street: 14

  *Please note a 50/50 split of certain demographics wasn’t able to be achieved for all categories due to limited numbers of expressions of interest received for particular categories. For example, only 4 males aged under 44 submitted an expression of interest. With 13 people selected for this age category, we were unable to achieve an even split of males and females.

• How can I find information about how the community co-design workshops are progressing?

• To stay updated on the project, including progress of the community co-design workshops, subscribe to this page using the link in the header.

• Will the wider community still be able to have a say on the concept design?

• Yes, the draft concept plan developed by the community co-design group will be shared with the wider community for feedback.

  This is planned to happen in May and will be advertised on this page and via other promotional channels.