Come along and be part of the conversation (click for full size image)
Open Spaces – City of Melbourne
Mention was made on Tuesday night of the City of Melbourne’s Open Spaces Project as it applies in Curzon Street. Some mistook that as closure of Curzon Street. The following link will take you to the City of Melbourne’s Open Spaces Strategy, the general section for North and West Melbourne, and to the specific section pertaining to Curzon Street.
The Project Philosophy
The following outlines why we have adopted the approach we are undertaking, and explains the rationale which has underpinned the choices made to this point.
Linked-in Community
A Model for inner-city Development
Introduction
Presented with an opportunity to consider the use of its property subsequent to the cessation of a lease with Caltex, The Eighth Day has sought to move beyond the traditional uses of church property, and to build upon community development ideals in which the traditional lines between community, commercial public and residential spaces are re-thought.
The Eighth Day (formerly West Melbourne Baptist Church) owns the site at 621-643 King Street, which has been leased as a retail fuel outlet since 1962, but is in the process of remediation. The site is centrally situated at the junction of the North Melbourne and West Melbourne – residential precincts as identified by the City of Melbourne.
The church is proposing a development on the site which builds on already recognised models of affordable housing (Common Ground) and apartment living (Apartment Life) and develops it with consideration to its connection with the local precinct. Given its location adjacent to a commercial precinct, its proximity to public transport and its inner-city location, the site affords a unique opportunity not only for medium/higher density housing, but to address some of the identified community needs for parking and accessible and flexible spaces for community groups in an environmentally sustainable design.
The church has identified a form and process by which these spaces could be created without the requirement of a capital commitment from the public purse.
Philosophy of Building and Community Development
Recognising that the structures we develop convey and create their own sense of meaning and identity to its inhabitants, we propose a built form of a construction which contributes significantly to the community culture and ethos which is sustained within it. Traditionally, affordable housing has been siloed, housing tenants in unique communities, either in single lots in housing estates, or dedicated buildings, thereby limiting access to relationships which could support tenants and help them develop life skills which could assist in longer-term integration back into community and work. As many life skills are obtained in relationship rather than through professional services, lack of intentional space for building relationships and developing community inhibits capacity to develop skills which help residents create and build on new opportunities. Professional services, while of value, are most effective when an adjunct to community relationships and resources.
By placing affordable housing into a structure in which intentional community resources and relationships (both residential and communal) are auspiced and created, the experience of living in affordable housing is potentially socialised whilst simultaneously reducing any associated stigma. With community support services accessible on site, either through the commercial space available, through resources made available through the flexible community spaces, or through the presence of an ongoing community which is composed of people inside the building and those from the wider community, the support, care and development of all residents is nurtured. Provision of parking on-site builds relational links between the wider community and the development itself, and with careful inclusion of commercial ventures provides an integrative space with the wider community, who come to recognise the communally-accessible spaces as their own. The presence of a church community on site brings a resource with a deep and long history of building community, care for the poor and marginalised, and a significant bank of resources to draw upon in meeting the needs of residents. Through intentional partnerships with local service providers and community groups, the traditional barriers between church and other groups will be diminished – a holistic approach to community and care underpinning the strategy. The flexible community spaces would be available to community groups both to run programs and events for both residents within the building, and for the wider community, thus identifying the development as a significant community asset.
Asset Divestment
The church could exercise its ownership of the property entirely within its own interests, but is keen to deliver something to its community as it seeks to reconfigure its property assets in the interests of the wider community. Through partnership with affordable housing providers, community groups, and appropriate commercial interests, the building’s ownership would be shared amongst those who wish to invest, including private residents who understand the ethos of the overall project, and who would recognise the important contribution that could be made as part of such a community.
Community Engagement/Involvement
The church would welcome support and partnerships in developing the concept, having made a successful application to the Department of Planning and Community Development for a Planning Grant from the Community Support Fund to help finance the feasibility study for the concept. Community consultation will be an important part of this phase, both in honing the concept and identifying community groups with an interest in using the flexible community spaces.
Further Correspondence
For further comment and engagement with this project, please leave your comments on this site, or contact the church directly.
Powerpoint Presentation from Tuesday Night
If you want to review the presentation from Tuesday night, please click on the link below
Next Steps
We are grateful to all who turned out last night and gave us their feedback and response to the presentation. We look forward to receiving your comments over the coming days. Documents about the project will be made available through this site before the end of the week so that you have opportunity to further reflect on what has been presented.
Your input and feedback matters to us. We look forward to continuing the conversation as we continue this feasibility study.
Come and be part of the conversation on May 31
Come along and be part of the conversation (click for full size image)
A Place to Converse…
Welcome! This site has been set up to provide opportunity for community feedback in relation to plans to develop the old Caltex Service Station site owned by The Eighth Day Baptist Community. After nearly half a century as a service station, the church is seeking to redevelop the site for the community. Plans will be shared at a community consultation at the end of May (details to follow), after which this site will provide opportunity to hear your responses. Feedback will be moderated by Baptcare, the auspicing body for the feasibility study, and form part of the feasibility.
We welcome your input and feedback, which will be included in the feasibility process and will impact the way in which the design proceeds. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the church directly.
(click image to go to site)
