Government Services Building, Village Green & Library

Suburb	Picton
Category	Major Project
Status	In Progress
Start Date	September 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do we need a new government services building?

Wollondilly has a rapidly growing community, expected to double and even potentially triple in size over coming decades, meaning Council has a need for more room for staff so it can maintain and enhance service levels. Council also requires modern and functional accommodation to facilitate more efficient and effective service delivery and also importantly attract and retain high quality staff in highly competitive recruitment environment.

There is an immediate need for a new space to attract and house the workforce needed to support the growth of the Shire and to provide an appropriate physical point of contact for community members and visitors to meet with Council and government services. The current building is 47 years old and coming to the end of its life, and is too small for current staffing even with people working remotely.

Why build the government services building in Picton and not Wilton?

The Wollondilly Cultural Precinct will strengthen Picton’s role as the cultural and civic heart of Wollondilly. It will provide an important opportunity to conserve Picton’s heritage and character while offering contemporary facilities that will make Wollondilly an even better place to live, learn, work and play. It will help ensure the long term viability of the businesses in Picton.

Aside from this, Council owns the land in Picton and doesn’t own land in Wilton, which would further add to the cost of the project.

What will this cost ratepayers?

This will not come at a cost to ratepayers: this project is designed to pay for itself. The Government Services Building will house Council’s Administration Offices as well as feature lettable spaces for other Government agencies or Non-Government service providers to co-locate with Council. This will mean the community will have greater access to a range of Government services in one location and also result in the Government Services Building paying for itself over time through the income generated from the lettable spaces. There is no cost to ratepayers in this stage, and no impact to our services particularly our record investment into road repair.

What are the benefits of the project?

Already through this project the Shire Hall refurbishments, Library extension and new Children’s Services building have made a big difference to the precinct and Picton, with the new Performing Arts Centre well underway.

The construction and operation of the new Government Services Building will support over $730 million in gross value added to the Wollondilly Shire economy. Wollondilly Shire Council’s investment into the new Government Services Building will support significant economic activity in the Wollondilly Shire economy in both its construction and operation phases.

In the first year of operation (FY2028), the new Government Services Building is estimated to support $39 million in economic activity and support over 230 jobs (directly and indirectly).

The operation of the new Government Services Building will support over $710 million (directly and indirectly) towards GVA over the 25-year operation phase.
The operation of the new Government Services Building will support an average of 430 jobs each year over the 25-year operation phase.
The marginal benefit attributed to the increased capacity of the new Government Services Building accounts for 38 per cent of the total economic contribution.

Why does it need to be four stories?

The Government Services Building is an efficient development of two to four storeys with setbacks to reduce the visual scale. It will accommodate Council staff and provide space to co-locate a range of other Government and non-Government services. The gives it the capacity to provide leasable space for other government services, without making the footprint larger and losing the green community space.

Council followed a transparent and public facing planning proposal process to amend the 9m height limit imposed in the Wollondilly Local Environmental Plan (LEP). This process requires external assessment by the NSW Department of Planning who assess the merit of such proposals in making a determination. The change of height was an amendment to the Wollondilly Development Control Plan related specifically to this project, and doesn’t apply to other areas and does not set a precedent for other sites in Picton or Wollondilly. Any developer or property owner may follow the same planning proposal process to request changes to an LEP such as rezoning land categories for future housing etc.

How long will the project take?

Construction of the Government Services Building forms Stage 2 of the Master Plan. Upon completion of GSB, Stage 3 will commence, which includes the Village Green and extension of the Shire Hall. Library and Civic Forecourt spaces will follow on as Stage 4 construction works.

Schematic Design has been undertaken for GSB, Library and Village Green together. This approach allows the design proposals to be submitted under a single Development Application. The proposed program for design, tender, construction and commissioning of the buildings is summarised below, subject to any further revisions of the program.

Schematic Design Oct 22-Mar 23
Development Application Preparation Jun 23 - Jul 23
Development Application Assessment Jul 23 - Jan 24
Village Green & Library design go on hold, GSB continues
Detailed Design Jul - Nov 23
EOI for Head Contractor June 2023 – August 2023
Request for Tender October 2023 – early 2024
Pre-Construction & Detail Design Finalisation Early 2024 - Early 2025
Construction Commences mid 2025

The Project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026 with construction commencing in mid-2025.

How will the Wollondilly Cultural Precinct celebrate and pay tribute to Wollondilly's rich history?

Wollondilly has a rich European and Indigenous history which Council is keen to celebrate across the Wollondilly Cultural Precinct. The Shire Hall remains a centrepiece of the Wollondilly Cultural Precinct; and while we aim to build facilities that are modern and meet the needs of our community now and into the future; they will also pay homage to our European and Indigenous heritage and tie in with the heritage features of the Shire Hall. Council will also be exploring a number of opportunities to acknowledge our heritage through public art and partnerships with various community groups.

Is this project taking money away from roads?

No. We hear the community’s concerns about roads and we are investing more than ever before in our capital works program. Delivery of the Wollondilly Cultural Precinct project does not affect funding for Council’s Road Renewal and upgrade program which continues as a critical priority. Council is continuing to invest funds and resources into maintaining our road network but we are also planning for the future by progressing the Wollondilly Cultural Precinct. The Shire is growing rapidly, so while we are pouring all our efforts right now into fixing our roads, we also need to plan for our future so we can maintain and enhance our services as our population increases. The Wollondilly Cultural Precinct will help us meet the future needs of our growing community.

PARKING locations available

The Government Services building will be located behind the Wollondilly Performing Arts Centre (WPAC) and built adjacent to Corbett Lane. During the building phase the site will be surrounded by temporary fencing, see map below.

Please see the accessible parking spaces behind the Council Administration Building available on the map below. Children’s Services customers parking will remain unchanged with a revised entry and exit.

All-day parking is available on Walton Street and on Davison Lane in Picton, along with some on street parking.

Commercial shopping centres such as Coles and IGA will continue to provide their timed parking for customers.

Read on to find out more about this project.

Once completed the Government Services Building will have underground parking with approximately 80 car spots.

MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR GROWING SHIRE

The current Council Administration Building is rapidly deteriorating, requiring costly ongoing repairs due to its age and condition. It is already too small for the current staffing levels and doesn’t meet current Work Health & Safety standards. This building unfortunately has a detrimental impact on the Picton streetscape.

Wollondilly has a rapidly growing community, expected to double and even potentially triple in size over coming decades, meaning Council has a need for additional staff to maintain and enhance service levels. Council also requires modern and functional accommodation to facilitate more efficient and effective service delivery and also importantly attract and retain high quality staff in very competitive recruitment environment.

As such there is an immediate need for a new space to attract and house the workforce needed to support the growth of the Shire and to provide an appropriate physical point of contact for community members and visitors to meet with Council and government services. The Wollondilly Library is also undersized and well below benchmark service level for other LGAs, and there is a clear need for a green “heart” for Picton for people to gather and enjoy.

FUNDING STRATEGY

Financial analysis, options assessment, sensitivity testing and examination of the planned Government Services Building was undertaken during 2023. At the November 2023 Ordinary Meeting, Council resolved (332/2023) that the proposal to construct a four storey Government Services Building with lettable space at the corner of Colden Street and Corbett Lane provides the best financial outcome for the community. Using the preferred model, construction comes at no cost to ratepayers over the life of the building and does not require either a special rate variation or reduction in funding for roads, community projects or council services.

For more information on the financial plan, read the detailed report from the November 2023 Council Meeting and the resolution document.

The preferred model for the Government Services Building, Library and Village Green is expected to bring a substantial $732 million in economic benefits for the Picton town centre, the broader Wollondilly community and other service organisations. Independent economic analysis has shown that over the next 25 years this project will also deliver 166 jobs during the construction phase, support 110 additional ongoing jobs in local business in the operation phase and $185M in benefits that will flow direct to local Picton and Wollondilly businesses, securing Picton as the civic and cultural heart of the Shire.

The proposed self-funding model will provide lettable space for co-location of either government services or commercial organisations. It will meet an immediate need for a new space to attract and house the workforce required to support the growth of the Shire and to provide an appropriate physical point of contact for community members and visitors to meet with Council and government services.

Council Report Council Resolution

TENDER AWARDED

At its meeting of June 2023, Council resolved to endorse the project to proceed to the next stages, submit a Development Application (DA), submit a Capital Expenditure Report to the Office of Local Government, and commence the procurement process to engage a Principal Construction Contractor.

The DA was submitted in June 2023 and was approved by the Sydney Western City Planning Panel on 4 March 2024, having been reviewed by the Office of Local Government in February 2024. A public open tender process for Construction of the GSB commenced in July 2023.

Wollondilly Council has now accepted a tender to construct the Government Services Building from Kane Constructions Pty Ltd, following a thorough assessment of submitted tenders by the Tender Evaluation Panel.

Construction of the new Government Services Building, Library and Village Green is planned to commence following completion of the Wollondilly Performing Arts Centre.