Why was Flinders Civic Hall chosen for an upgrade?
The current Flinders Civic Hall was opened in 1966 and since then several minor refurbishments and a small extension on the north‐west corner have since been undertaken. The hall has experienced cracking in the solid brick walls going back to at least the mid‐1990s and, despite some rectification works, this problem is on‐going.
In 2018/19, Council allocated funding to explore redevelopment opportunities. Extensive community and stakeholder consultation was undertaken to identify the current and future needs and aspirations for activities to be held at the new facility. Following this consultation, Council secured additional funding to proceed with the redevelopment.
Who is managing the project?
This project is being delivered by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council by the Infrastructure Projects team in collaboration with numerous internal teams including but not limited to, Traffic and Transport, Infrastructure Planning, Community Facilities and Precincts, Climate Change and Sustainability. Specialist consultants were also part of the design process to ensure the facility aligns with Shire policies and Strategies.
What is the proposed capacity of the new hall?
The proposed capacity of the main hall is approximately 150 people and the multi-purpose room spaces will have a capacity of approximately 39 people. This will be confirmed upon completion.
Are there accessible facilities proposed on site?
Universal design has been considered throughout the design process to ensure the new development will be both accessible and inclusive. Some of these include but are not limited to: Access ramps from Cook Street to the main entrance and in the back of house, accessible toilet facilities, accessible parking bays, lower kitchen servery bench for food service to those with mobility assistance, and internal ramps to assist those with mobility assistance to travel between designated spaces as well as off and on stage.
Are there unisex toilet amenities on site?
There are two unisex accessible toilet amenities plus an additional adult Changing Places cubicle within the hall in accompaniment with gender specific amenities.
What is a Changing Places facility?
Changing Places provide suitable facilities for people who cannot use standard accessible toilets. A Changing Places facility allows people with high support needs to fully participate in the community.
This may include people with an acquired brain injury, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida, and motor neurone disease, as well as many other people with a disability.
Why is there a Changing Places facility at Flinders Civic Hall?
Council has identified the need for a Changing Places facility within the township of Flinders. An external consultant was engaged to explore suitable locations within Flinders for such a facility and recommended Flinders Civic Hall as an ideal site which was also indorsed upon by Shire officers and other external user groups.
The facility at FCH will be available to specific registered users and this design will allow for access internally from the hall as well as external access from the street.
Will a stage be included in the design of the main hall?
There will be an elevated stage which also include back of stage and a full set of stage curtains. The Stage itself will be 900mm in height, 74 square meters and have a distance of 3.15m from the stage to the ceiling, which is suitable for small to medium performances. The stage is accessible via the backstage change rooms and for larger performances, the multi-purpose rooms can be utilised as additional change rooms.
Will there be Audio / Visual (A/V) equipment available inside and outside the hall?
Foundational audio and visual equipment will be provided throughout the hall and meeting rooms, including but not limited to within the main hall stage lights, sound system (speakers), microphones, projector and projector screen, hearing loop. This system will be managed via an iPad, which is user friendly, alleviating the need to hire an Audio Technician.
The multi-purpose room is equipped with a TV.
What if my event requires specialist technical equipment?
The Audio / Visual system is designed to be scaled up and paired up with additional lighting and sound equipment. Including but not limited to, sound desks, light desks and extra microphones.
Has there been consideration made for the use of the Hub’s outdoor space for events?
The facility will be equipped with outdoor power points.
Where can user groups store equipment?
The allocation of storage is assessed as per our Community Facilities Hire Policy. Criteria including the availability of storage, the items being stored and our ability to accommodate all requests are considered. Once bookings are open, community groups can apply for storage as part of the hire process.
Will there be landscaping at the facility?
Minor native landscaping will be undertaken adjacent to the hall in line with Council requirement and the Planning Schemes. As part of this redevelopment, the trees that were removed were identified by an arborist and removal was undertaken with their supervision. No further vegetation is proposed to be removed.
Are you upgrading the car parking facilities?
As a part of the redevelopment, minor changes to the car parking and access bays on Cook Street will be included to ensure the bays are compliant to Australian Standards.
Will car parking be affected during the construction period?
As part of the construction, the car parking bays at the front of the existing hall on Cook Street will be unavailable for the duration of the build to accommodate the builder's site compound.
What about the relocation of the flag poles?
The current location of the flagpoles will be moved to the south-eastern corner of the building. In accordance with the Commonwealth of Australia’s ‘The protocols for the appropriate use and the flying of the flag’, the most appropriate layout for the Flinders Civic Hall redevelopment would be a single row of three flagpoles of equal height.
In this formation, the Australian National flag will be positioned on the extreme left-hand side (the position of honour) as seen by those facing it, followed by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. Noting that should the Australian National flag ever be flown alone in a row of three flagpoles, it should be flown on the centre flagpole.
A copy of the April 2017 Council Minutes endorsing the Flinders Civic Hall flagpoles are available for further information.
When will the facility re-open for bookings?
We are currently not taking any bookings for this Community Facility and will not be taking any booking requests until closer to completion date, which we are anticipating to be late 2023.