Keysborough South Community Hub

Keysborough South has experienced a significant increase in demand for community services – in particular early years’ children’s services – as a result of a surge in population and increased housing development. 

These important community services, along with a range of multi-purpose meeting rooms and spaces will be provided at our new community hub, increasing and improving the variety of activities and programs on offer. 

Detailed planning and consultation for the community hub was first undertaken in 2015/16. Responses from more than 400 people confirmed the need for a range of community services as well as flexible meeting spaces and outdoor areas. Concept plans were prepared including facilities for early years children’s services such as kindergarten, childcare, maternal child health, immunisation services and playgroups, as well as spaces for young people, education-based services and physical activity programs.

In November 2019, Council selected Tatterson Park on the corner of Chapel and Villiers Roads as the chosen location for the community hub. The site was selected for its visual prominence, easy access and central location and following further community consultation with more than 550 responses. 

A Library Outreach Service will visit the hub regularly to curate a small book collection and deliver a range of programs including story time, baby bounce and life-long learning programs tailored to the needs of the Keysborough South community (i.e. digital literacy or conversation classes).

The community lounge will provide a variety of spaces and furniture types that allow for individual and group work / study with plenty of access to power points for people to plug in their devices. Meeting rooms will also be available for quiet study and collaborative working when not required for bookings / meetings.

The community lounge will also offer the following features as part of an outreach library service:

• Library book pick-up and drop-off
• A small collection of magazines and newspapers
• A small curated book display for reading and borrowing
• Four self-serve bookable personal computers
• Self-serve printing and photocopying
• A personal computer to look-up and order Library books
• A self-serve loan kiosk
• Book pick-up and drop off service (as per draft design)
• Free WiFi (as per draft design)

Staff at the community hub will be multi-skilled so they can assist all Hub users, including those using library services (i.e. incorporating librarian and operational duties).

The community hub will include tea / coffee making facilities, community kitchen and space for self-serve vending options for Hub and park users.

The provision of a café is not commercially viable at the Hub, however a number of options have been considered to cater for potential future demand:

a. Provision of a café service within the Hub at peak times, to be serviced by Centre staff. Coffee machine and display cabinet to be considered as part of the fit-out / detailed design (DD) process, complemented by tables and chairs in the community lounge. Possible areas for service include:

• Community kitchen, or
• Reception

b. Provision of dedicated space for a mobile coffee cart at the Hub entrance. Council will consider conducting an Expression of Interest process for the potential provision of a coffee service for the community and hub users at the proposed mobile coffee cart location, and at a nominated location within the community hub (i.e. foyer).

Note: Springers Leisure Centre also provides food and beverage options for users of the Tatterson Park precinct.

The community hub will include a ‘neighbourhood’ level children’s playground, basketball half court, amphitheatre, licenced children’s play area (for kindergarten / child care), outdoor seating areas, path network, landscaping with tiered acoustic treatment (along Dandenong Bypass) and fencing along Villiers Road and Chapel Road (part).

A ‘neighbourhood’ level playground is proposed at the Hub in accordance with Council’s Playground Strategy, which typically includes a combination of standard themed play equipment, natural play and custom designed pieces.

The ultimate design of the playground (and equipment selection) will be subject to the detail design (DD) process and will be sympathetic to site and consider community feedback provided. Further community consultation will also be undertaken as part of this process.

The playground is intended to complement the regional ‘insect’ themed playground, located within Tatterson Park (approximately 500m from the hub). Access to this playground (and other facilities within the reserve) will be encouraged via an interconnected path network and new access road.

Community Room 1 and 2:

• Function style layout (large tables): up to approximately 60 people each or 140 combined.
• Theatre style layout: up to approximately 70 people each or 160 combined.

Meeting Rooms – approximate numbers based on board room layout:

• Meeting Room 1: 8 people
• Meeting Room 2: 10 people
• Meeting Room 3: 10 people
• Administration / Meeting Room: 8 people

Meeting Rooms 1 and 2 combined: Up to approximately 30 people based on theatre style seating.

The hub will be open after-hours and on weekends, in line with other similar Council / community facilities. However, the exact operating hours be based on feedback from the community during consultation activities and will consider the specific needs of the local community in addition to the impact on neighbouring properties.

A new off-leash dog park has been developed within Tatterson Park, approximately 150 meters west of the original dog park. The new dog park is slightly larger and includes a secure fenced area, park furniture (including rubbish bin), water, shelter, landscaping and path connection.

Approximately 100 trees are being planted within the park and surrounds. The proposed design seeks to avoid the well-established trees on site, resulting in no loss of existing vegetation. Furthermore, the existing trees will become a valued feature of the landscaped area around the Community Hub.

Vehicle access into Tatterson Park was previously limited to Cheltenham Road in the north and Lake Edge Drive in the west with only pedestrian access to the reserve from the eastern areas of Keysborough South.

The new road improves access for local residents and encourages greater use of Tatterson Park and the extensive facilities and features that it offers (including a new off leash dog park).

The development of this access road from Villiers Road / Chapel Road is consistent with Council’s long-term planning for the reserve and the Tatterson Park Master Plan (2004).

Accurately predicting child care requirements for a specific suburb is not an exact science, estimates are just that, and are also based on statewide use assumptions garnered from detailed industry research. Council’s current estimates for child care service demand in the suburb of Keysborough estimate a requirement for 479 places in 2022, increasing to 550 places by 2031. This estimation is based upon long day care usage and population in Victoria and the sources for these statistics are Childhood Education and Care, Australia, June 2014, Australia Bureau of Statistics and Victoria in Future, 2016, Victorian Government.

Within the suburb of Keysborough child care is provided by both community-based child care programs, and also private providers.  Information on private childcare is not always assessable, and some providers also target service provision to clients outside of Dandenong’s municipal boarders.  For this reason, private providers of childcare are not always considered when evaluating current demand for child care places in a particular suburb. Ultimately, Council is building a facility designed to service Keysborough residents for the next fifty to sixty years, not just for the next five to ten. Integration is a key feature, in order to adapt to continual demographic changes, and deliver services that are applicable and appropriate to Keysborough’s residents.

The Keysborough South Community Hub’s early childhood approach is based on an integrated model for long day care and three and four-year-old kindergarten. With a flexible and adaptive capacity, it is possible that up to three rooms could be required for kindergarten with the introduction of three-year-old kindergarten in 2022 and one for long day care with 24 places for 0-3 years.  The intention will be to offer all types of kindergarten modelling for the community, which includes sessional and funded kindergarten with child care as a wraparound model for parents.

Dedicated space for early childhood services is shown on the concept plans and these are a requirement for Council’s submission for funding to the State Government, and also for eventual licensing. In an environment of diverse community expectations, Council has a commitment to derive maximum community benefit from its community facilities. Council’s commitment to the development and/or operation of community facilities on a multipurpose use basis is detailed in Council’s Multipurpose Use of Community Facilities Policy.

Council’s commitment to multiuse community facilities through its Policy provides the necessary guarantee to the community that these spaces will be available for community use should the demand be there.