Major rebuild for Deans Marsh hall

A MULTI-MILLION dollar upgrade of Deans Marsh community facilities is on the cards, with the Surf Coast Shire in early stages of planning for the project.

The council is surveying locals about their needs to inform its designs for the Deans Marsh Community Hall and Cottage, which includes childcare services.

The community hub is earmarked for between $2 million to $3 million of state and federal government funding under the council’s advocacy priorities, which a report said would ensure the centre keeps pace with resident needs while retaining its locally significant character and features.

The hall and cottage were in line for standard maintenance works in 2020, but structural and drainage problems identified during assessments led the council to plan a larger scale rebuild.

Community representatives are working alongside officers to form a facility development plan, which will outline challenges and needs, site constraints and opportunities, and its local significance.

Place making general manager Chris Pike said the council had a blank canvas for its Deans Marsh plan and encouraged a wide range of community input.

“We will … apply good planning principles and requirements to guide the future improvement of the facility, so it’s a multi-purpose hub that meets the needs of the Deans Marsh community, now and into the future,” he said.

“There are no pre-conceived ideas and this process ensures we can gather key information, understand what is important, and seek input and feedback from the community on options to see the facility reimagined into the future.”

A survey is quizzing Deans Marsh locals about how they currently use the facility, their key concerns and most-cherished aspects to guide council planning.

The questionnaire is available online or in hard copies at Deans Marsh, and closes Friday, April 22.

The council expects to have a concept design and cost plan finished by May, a draft facility development plan out by June and a final plan by July.