Rodney Stevens
A video of an artist’s impression of the new Treelands Drive Community Centre has been released by Clarence Valley Council providing details of the new $14 million plus facility.
The existing community centre will close from June 30, as council prepares for the construction of the modern and spacious cultural hub next to the TAFE education precinct.
When news broke last year that the 24-year-old Treelands Drive Community Centre would be demolished and the Wooli Street Hall would be sold to fund the development, many Yamba residents and members of the Yamba Community Action Network Yamba (CAN) inc. expressed their frustration with councils plans.
Following public pressure, Council announced it wouldn’t be selling Wooli Street Hall, then in February 2023 a petition was launched by Yamba CAN inc. calling on council to extend the existing centre (Option B estimated at $8 million) instead of demolishing the existing centre and rebuilding it (Option A estimated at $14.5 million).
Despite the petition, at the February 2023 meeting Council voted 6-3 to support design option A, the majority of which will be funded through a $11,087,000 grant under the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery program co-funded by the NSW and Federal governments.
Then on March 14, the Northern Regional Planning Panel unanimously approved the demolition of the existing community centre when Council’s two members of the five-person panel were excluded from voting due to declared conflicts of interest as they had voted on Council motions relating to the development.
The new building will be located on the site of the existing Treelands Drive Community Centre and designed to create a precinct integrated with the TAFE NSW Connect Learning Centre and Yamba Community Health.
It will include a new art space, dedicated youth space, outdoor communal areas and additional public parking.
Flexible configuration of up to eight meeting spaces will be able to cater to a wide range of small and large user groups as well as a new library twice the size of the current facility.
Community organisations that hire the current centre have been accommodated at Wooli Street Hall if appropriate, while alternate venues have been found for some.
Following its February 2023 meeting, council invited shortlisted contractors Bennet Construction, Alder Construction, Hinds Construction and BARPA Construction Services to submit tenders to construct the community centre.
Council plans to award the contract to the successful tender at the July 25 council meeting and site handover will happen in early August for the contractor to start demolition works and construction of a new public carpark behind the TAFE.
To see the video of the new Treelands Drive Community Centre visit https://vimeo.com/701105104