FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Council considered an office renovation as part of the eight Options considered (‘Do Nothing’, renovate and variations of Options A, B and C) at its meeting on 1 July 2025. However, Council determined that a renovation would not address all the issues in a cost effective manner in the long term and therefore resolved to consult the Community on constructing a new building.

Council had not, and still has not, made a decision about proceeding with any of the Alinea Group models, so it would have been premature and inappropriate to be discussing options that Council had not formally considered.   Furthermore, these high level conceptual ideas were ‘commercial in confidence’ and to ensure Council has the best opportunity to obtain the most favourable outcome through an expression of interest process, should Council proceed down that path, this was the action that needed to be taken.  

The aim of the Alinea consultation was to seek feedback from the Community about what they may like to see on the 172 Montacute Road site, to guide the next steps in the process.  

It was a consultation to give the Community an opportunity to be creative with their ideas for the site, and to help shape our Community Heart, not a consultation based on a number of possible options (as per the current consultation).

The potential 12 storey tower was not a directive from the State Government; it was identified as a potential solution by the Alinea group (they identified 8 to 12 storeys) to enable the scope and scale of development on this site to assist Council to significantly reduce the costs associated with constructing a new Council Office and Performing Arts Centre, with the desired outcome of minimising impact to ratepayers.

Elected Members are required by law to declare any material or general conflicts of interest under Sections 73 - 75C of the Local Government Act 1999. If Members declare a conflict at any stage of this project, the details will be available to view on Council’s Disclosure of Interest Register.

Staff are required by law to declare conflicts of interest under Section 120 of the Local Government Act 1999.  

To date, no Elected Members or Staff have had a Conflict of Interest to declare with regard to this project. 

The intent of the consultation is to understand the Community’s views on the options presented.  Council will consider this information along with other information related to the project (including the outcomes of a Prudential Report) to help it make an informed decision and determine how to progress.

Council will need to revisit what to do about the Council Office, including whether to consider a renovation instead, as the issues at the Office, including that it doesn’t meet WHS or accessibility legislation need to be addressed.

If Option A or B are selected, depending on the location of the buildings, Council operations may be able to continue in the current office until the new office is completed.  If Option C is chosen, this may also be a possibility.

If Staff need to be relocated many of them will go to existing Council sites including The ARC Campbelltown, Council Depot and Library. It is not envisaged that Council would need to rent any additional office space through the build.

Regular hirers will be consulted on their future needs and space requirements.   It is anticipated that they will be accommodated in the new building or in another existing Council facility if the Function Centre is demolished.

Council is considering how AI can provide solutions for administrative tasks, data analysis, community engagement and more.   The Executive Management Team recently attended an AI conference and there was a strong message that AI was about augmentation, diverting staff resources to more value add and strategic work.  For many things, humans still need to do the thinking and service delivery, AI can be used to assist this however it isn’t always a complete replacement.  At this very early stage our view, aligns with the industry view, that AI will complement human resources, not replace them.

The consultation is seeking the Community’s view on how they would like to see Council proceed.  Once that decision has been made, a comprehensive and complete analysis will be undertaken regarding the needs of a future office.  The current office has more than space issues.  It is an aged and inefficient building that makes the introduction of modern technology and other efficiencies difficult. 

Council will seek an office design that offers flexibility for both Staff and the Community.  Flexible working arrangements including working from home options are currently available to Staff, however the impact on culture, teams and connectedness, as well as service delivery to the Community, also need to be considered when implementing these practices.

Council has recently implemented a structure which will see a focussed effort on AI implementation.  AI is currently being assessed in more detail and is currently being used in some areas of the organisation.  Council will be developing an AI strategy to complement relevant policies and procedures already in place to ensure that AI is implemented in a considered and appropriate manner.  Staff are currently looking at the risks of data security and information reliability to ensure that a platform is chosen that fully considers these issues. 

AI is relatively new, and has enormous scope.  Council needs to ensure that the use of AI is reliable, free from bias, ethical, factually correct, compliant and secure.  It is a big undertaking and Staff will be looking at how it can streamline processes and improve service delivery for our Community.

If Option C is endorsed by Council as its preferred option, then Council will protect its interest to the extent possible regarding any leasing arrangements (ie if the Expression of Interest process proposes a lease be entered into).

If Option A or B are selected, depending on the location of the buildings, Staff may be able to stay in the current office until the new office is completed.  If Option C is chosen, this may also be a possibility. If Staff need to be relocated many of them will go to existing Council sites including The ARC Campbelltown, Council Depot and Library. It is not envisaged that Council would need to rent any additional office space through the build.

Council ‘seeking to deliver the project at a neutral to limited cost to ratepayers’ is a correct representation, and also in line with the Council decision.  This is why the Alinea Group were engaged to develop models that could be as cost neutral or as limited cost to ratepayers as possible.   

It is clear in the Council report of 1 July 2025 and in the current Consultation Document that building say, a new Council office and a Performing Arts Centre is far more economical for ratepayers when there is investor contribution, than it is simply by using Council funds. The rate impact to ratepayers is also lower under the investor model. However, it needs to be reiterated that Council has made no decision to proceed with any option at this time and needs Community feedback to establish its next steps.

The funds that Council has already raised are allocated to other projects and services, including asset repairs and replacements (ie footpath upgrades, road works and drainage improvements), new facilities and infrastructure.

Yes, the high-level cost estimates have made allowances for the internal fit out however the actual cost of the fit outs will be further refined through the detailed design phase if the project proceeds.

The ‘one off’ rate’ increase quoted in the Consultation Document is the increase expected in Year 1 of construction, above the general rate increase proposed in Council’s Long Term Financial Plan.  As the document explains, this rate increase could also be apportioned across more than one year, to ease the impact to ratepayers.  Whichever method is used, the ‘one off rate’ increase will be embedded and form part of the rate base for future years.

Council rate increases are set at the same rate as the December CPI in accordance with the assumptions contained in Council’s Long Term Financial Plan.  Operating costs usually rise beyond CPI and Council each year determines whether to run larger deficits or smaller surpluses, or reduce services, to ensure that the rate increase is no greater than the December CPI from the preceding year.

Council purchased the property from a private owner ‘Peter Franzon & Sons Proprietary Limited’ on 23 June 1965 and holds the Certificate of Title for this land (CT 2121/44).

This land has never been Community land.  When the Local Government Act 1999 commenced on 1 January 2000, it required Councils to identify land to be exempted from community land as per Section 193(1)(a) of the Act as follows:

 (1)       All local government land (except roads) that is owned by a council or under a      council's care, control and management at the commencement of this section (the   commencement date) is taken to have been classified as community land unless—

(a)     the council resolves to exclude the land from classification as community land within three years after the commencement date; and

 (b)    the land is unaffected by provisions of a reservation, dedication, trust or other                   instrument that would prevent or restrict its alienation.

 On 5 June 2000, Council resolved:

 ‘To give notice In Govt Gazette Its Resolution To Exclude Various Land From Classification As Community Land Under Sec 34 Subsection (3) Of Local Govt Act 1999.’

Council undertook public consultation on the land exclusions as required by Section 193(2) of the Act and resolved on 2 December 2002, to exclude a number of parcels of land from being classified Community Land which included 168 and 172 Montacute Road.

No

Council will own the land for Option A and B. In Option C, Council will not own the land where there is any residential development on the site. The value of this land will be a contribution towards the cost of construction of the Office and Performing Arts Centre (PAC) buildings. Council may own the land where the Council Office and PAC are located. Land ownership in Option C will be explored through an Expression of Interest response with Council making the final decision on this.

The majority of the site is currently zoned Community Facilities with some of the periphery residential allotments being zoned General Neighbourhood which is a residential type zone.  Option A and Option B would both require an expansion of the Community Facilities zone to include properties which face Julia Drive.  Option C would require a rezoning of the whole site to a zone which has policy to accommodate the proposed mix of residential, community and retail uses.

For each option, Council would seek a building design that minimises tree removal. New landscaping, including tree planting to replace trees that were removed, would be undertaken following construction of a new building.

Option A - This option would have the least impact on tree removal, potentially requiring the removal of one significant tree.

Option B - This option would potentially require the removal of one to two significant trees.

Option C - This option would potentially require the removal of three significant trees. 

For options A and B, no impact would be anticipated.

For option C, it would depend how it fits with the redeveloped space. The development would need to include public realm and as such it may be able to stay where it is, or it may need to be shifted elsewhere.  If the outdoor gym equipment isn't able to be accommodated in the precinct, it would be relocated to the southern side of Fourth Creek.

Yes, you are welcome to participate in the consultation.  Council’s Public Consultation Policy supports people who live, study or conduct business in, or who visit, use or enjoy the services, facilities and public places of the City of Campbelltown participating in consultation opportunities, including the Creating our Community Heart consultation.

The consultation period is a 5 week consultation period, closing on 3 November 2025, which is 2 weeks longer than Council’s usual consultation period.

Council has undertaken extensive advertising of the consultation prior to it commencing, and further promotion and awareness raising is planned during the consultation period. A reminder notice will be included in Snippet (rates notice) that is being distributed in the last week of October.

Results will be presented at an open Council meeting, anticipated to be in December 2025, including demographic information, how people are connected to the consultation and the full details (ie number and percentage) of support for each option. Qualitative feedback (ie written responses) for each question will be themed to make it easier for Elected Members to understand the sentiment of responses.

It is not an acceptable practice for Councils to extend consultation timeframes once a consultation process has commenced, however once a consultation has concluded and results have been received, Council can choose to consult further if it wishes.  

In relation to the Community Hub consultation, Council has committed to an extensive consultation process including distributing consultation materials to every ratepayer and resident. This is an expensive process that will provide every opportunity possible for people to participate over a 5 week period to achieve as much feedback as possible.  

There is no set number or percentage of ratepayers required for Council to make a decision on any matter. However, Elected Members must comply with Behavioural Standards set by the Minister for Local Government Act and Section 75E of the Act, and ‘Act in a manner that is consistent with the Council’s role as a representative, informed and responsible decision maker, in the interests of its community.’.

The consultation uses a combination of open and closed questions. The questions are designed to help Elected Members understand the degree of change in the precinct that is preferred by the Community that respond to the consultation.  The preliminary question in the survey will enable Staff to analyse the data through different lenses, thereby supporting Council in understanding the perceptions of each group of respondents in relation to the options.

The questions have been framed using simple and direct phrasing to encourage as many people as possible in the Community to respond to the survey without being influenced to provide support for a particular option.

The open questions also enable people to provide any feedback that they wish Council to consider.

Council is undertaking the consultation.

Council resolved at its meeting on 1 July 2025 that the consultation document be presented at a briefing session in August and then to the following Council meeting for the Elected Members’ approval prior to being distributed. Therefore, the Elected Members had the opportunity to review the draft consultation questionnaire at a Briefing Session and provide feedback, prior to Staff preparing a report to confirm the consultation approach and documentation (presented to the 2 September Council meeting) for approval.   The Council adopted the consultation methodology and survey questions prior to the consultation document being distributed.

Financial figures provided in the Consultation Document were sourced from those provided in the Council report. The Council report included figures from the Alinea Group for the models they were involved in, and Staff prepared Long Term Financial Plan models for all of the options.  Full financials (including the impact on rates) and the associated long term financial plans are available from the Key Documents section of consultation webpage and Council's website.

Yes, you are welcome to respond and advise Council via Q4 ‘Do you have any other comments’ that your preference is for Council not to select any of the options and why.

Council considered adding an option to ‘do nothing’, however as the consultation is to find out the Community’s preferred option from the 3 options Council resolved to consult on to help guide future decision making if Council decides to go ahead with a project, it was decided that a ‘do nothing’ option should not be included in the consultation choices.

Instead of this approach, Council has prepared a video providing information about the state of the current office building.

The intention of this survey is to identify which of the concepts the Community prefers prior to proceeding to spend money on detailed designs.  As such, Council doesn’t have aerial views or plans at the moment as all images are concept ideas only, which is why each image attached to the consultation has the wording ‘Artist impression only’.

This consultation, like all of our consultations, is honest and true, and is very clear about the financial implications. All options involve multi million dollar expenditure, and each option has a different impact on rates, which are clear in the Consultation Document, with links provided to full financials if people would like more detail. Furthermore, if Council makes a decision to proceed with any of these options, it will need to undertake a Prudential Report to ensure that the project is financially viable and sustainable.

As detailed in the 2 September 2025 Council report, the estimated cost of the consultation is $93,000.

The PAC will be a muti use space which will be available for hire for similar uses to the current Function Centre.

It is too early to register at this point as Council would need to agree to proceed with Option C, engage a third party developer and commence discussions about the detailed design of the commercial development for the site before considering key tenancies. 

If a business is interested in moving to the site, they could signify this on their consultation response though so that Council can retain this information if the consultation outcomes and Council support proceeding with the Option C development.

It is too early to be able to provide any information about this beyond that Option C is anticipated to have commercial and hospitality premises that would likely employ Staff.

All images in the Consultation Document are conceptual artist impressions at the moment and actual size will be determined as Council works through the process with the preferred option.

At this stage it is anticipated that the parking will be either at ground level or contained within the above ground structures, however if Council were to proceed with Option C then the issue of car parking will be further explored through an Expression of Interest process and/or detailed design.