Ulverstone History Precinct Review Project, 2017
Central Coast Council, TAS
What the project was about
Central Coast Council in Tasmania wanted to develop a clear vision for the future of the Ulverstone Cultural Precinct. A Master Plan was developed so that the Ulverstone History Museum, Visitor Information Centre, Science Centre and Planetarium could all be located in the precinct.
The whole Cultural Precinct was reviewed, as well as the functionality of the access points off Reibey Street, Main Street and the Quadrant Car Park into the Cultural Precinct. Engagement Plus engaged widely to undertake the review of the precinct to develop a proposed Master Plan for the site.
What we needed to do
Central Coast Council had undertaken previous work to develop the Cultural Precinct and it was Engagement Plus’s role to further develop these ideas and to undertake the community engagement processes to develop an agreed Master Plan for the site. Engagement Plus worked with Council, the local community and stakeholders to develop a clear vision for the Ulverstone Cultural Precinct.
Community consultation aimed to determine community interest in the project and the needs of different groups. As a part of the community engagement activities a Community Advisory Group made up of industry and community representatives was established to provide input and feedback on each of the stages of the review project.
The Master Planning process commenced with a visioning phase and progressed through to the development of a final concept Master Plan for the Ulverstone Cultural Precinct. The process was based on robust research as well as extensive community and stakeholder involvement.
This process was undertaken using a comprehensive range of community consultation activities, including: online engagement, workshops, advertising in newspapers and via social media, newsletters, direct letters to stakeholders, static information displays, community forums, information stalls at local events, a community advisory group, dedicated project web page and online survey.
What was achieved
The community engagement process found that residents wanted to see a new community facility that would include new exhibition spaces for the arts and social history, a relocated visitor information centre and retail space, a café, active workshop spaces for woodworking and arts activities, a science centre and a planetarium. The vision developed for the Cultural Precinct combines arts, culture, tourism and science to create a vibrant community and education hub within the Central Coast region.
The project was completed in November 2017 when a final report was presented to Council for adoption. This final report included the proposed Master Plan for the site and costings for the development. In parallel with this process Engagement Plus prepared a funding submission for Council to the Federal Government’s Jobs Investment Plan Fund (RJIP) for $3.5million to support part of the project.
