A public-private partnership may be explored to co-fund a scaled-down Dandenong Community Hub project.
Greater Dandenong councillors voted on 8 December to halve the “oversized” proposed facility to keep it within its $30 million budget, as well as a possible PPP including “any air rights” above the site.
However Cr Rhonda Garad, in opposition, later lodged a rescission motion so the decision will be reconsidered at the next council meeting in 2026.
Cr Bob Milkovic said it made “economic sense” to utilise the highly-valuable site at Clow and Stuart streets and Sleeth Avenue, to help deliver a “first-class” hub but “not at the expense of the whole municipality”.
“Do we keep promising our community something which can’t be delivered?” Cr Milkovic said, citing councillors who had made “empty promises” in the past.
Cr Jim Memeti, who had pledged the DCH since 2020, was absent as an “apology” at the 8 December vote.
In favour, Cr Sean O’Reilly said the scaled-down Hub put the council “back on track” for what can be “feasibly delivered”.
Meanwhile, Cr Rhonda Garad opposed the “complete cutting and gutting” of the Hub design, which was co-designed with community members at a cost of about $750,000.
It was the third time that the council had sought a redesign.
The Hub needed to be large enough to cater for relocated childhood services, as well as a high intake of humanitarian arrivals and high-need residents, Cr Garad said.
“We have no meeting spaces in (this) ward. There are no cultural meeting spaces …. we have one hall.
“This area which is the oldest and the biggest, and with the highest need and we have zero community facilities.”
Residents, who were part of the original community co-design process, attacked the cuts in public question time on 8 December.
Dandenong Community Association president Silvia Mastrogiovanni asked why a larger, growing Dandenong was getting the same-sized hub as Keysborough South.
“Downsizing the hub is not planning for the future of Dandenong as a big place where a lot of people live in high-density housing without much indoor space or green space.”
The council’s city futures director Sanjay Manivasagasivam said Dandenong’s population was greater but was also well served by other community spaces such as Drum Theatre, DNA Gallery and Dandenong Wellbeing Centre pool.
“The Dandenong Hub must be designed in complement with existing facilities and be financially sustainable for the future as well.”
Greater Dandenong expects to go into underlying deficit for the first time in 2025-’26 as it commits to its $122 million Dandenong Wellbeing Centre.
The council expects to take on significant debt and draw down on reserves for the DWC , borrowing $68 million in the next two years and spending $16.6 million from reserves next year.
It will be spending up to $7.2 million a year to service the loans.
Council officers estimated the previous one-storey design for DCH had ballooned to $65 million, plus up to $15 million for a basement car park.
It plans to halve the building from 3950 square metres to about 1800 square metres – the same size as the recently-opened Keysborough Community Hub.
It might also be redrawn as a multi-storey structure, with possible ground-level parking.
