$30m civic centre

By Melissa Meehan
THE Cardinia Shire is moving from its ageing Pakenham headquarters to an Officer civic centre that could include a cinema.
The project has an estimated $30 million price tag.
VicUrban’s acting CEO Sam Sangster joined Cardinia Shire councillors and Gembrook MP Brad Battin to make the announcement on what is currently vacant land, not far from the Officer railway station.
“This is a fantastic announcement for both VicUrban and the council,” Mr Sangster said.
“Not only will Officer be a great place to live, but also to work and play.”
He said VicUrban had chosen the site of the new civic centre and entertainment precinct in an attempt to do things a “little differently”.
“We already have transport infrastructure, and the 370-hectare area we are talking about will be a very large development,” he said.
“The Officer Precinct Structure Plan (PSP) called for a range of things that would supply spaces to work, rest and play in the area.
“This part of Officer will do just that.”
Mr Sangster said residents and those who lived in surrounding areas would also be excited to hear of the possibility of a movie theatre being included in the project, after two interested parties had contacted VicUrban.
“I know that residents in the area really want a theatre, so we are hoping it will come through,” he said.
Mr Sangster said the civic centre would encourage more people to work, visit, shop, recreate and invest in the planned Officer town centre.
“The planned town centre will serve more than 64,000 people from the Cardinia Shire community and people in the greater south-east region,” he said.
“VicUrban looks forward to working with the private sector to provide increased housing for families in a timely manner throughout its Officer land holdings, as well as prioritising the early delivery of infrastructure that will provide jobs and services near where people live,” Mr Sangster said.
While the council is yet to decide what to do with its current facilities in Pakenham once it moves to Officer, Mayor George Blenkhorn said he hoped the council could lease the building for use as a tertiary or medical establishment.
“Some 17 other sites were investigated in the shire – many of them in Pakenham,” he said.
“But none of them had the advantages that this location offers.”
The major advantage would be that the council would enter a long-term lease arrangement with VicUrban, costing the council about 1.3 per cent of the council’s total annual revenue.
“This option is far more effective when compared with the cost to either purchase a new office building or rebuild the existing centre,” Cr Blenkhorn said.
His fellow Central Ward councillors, Brett Owen and Collin Ross agreed.
“This is exciting for Officer,” Cr Owen said.
“It’s going to be great for the township.”
Gembrook MP Brad Battin welcomed the news, and said the facility may put a bit of pressure on the government to spruce up the Officer Railway Station.
“The civic centre will be the centrepiece of a bold new town centre to serve the growing south-east community. I am confident that this catalytic project will pave the way for substantial private sector investment in this centre, which will ultimately employ 6,000 people and generate a retail turnover of between $150-$200 million a year,” Mr Battin said.
The four-storey, 5,000 square metre building will be five-star energy-rated and feature a flexible floor plan, council chambers, public amenities (including facilities for people with a disability), and meeting room space. The complex will have 200 car parking spaces and is designed to encourage bicycle usage, including dedicated undercover space for bikes.