EcoCentre redevelopment
Location
Cost
Why are we doing this?
As part of our commitment to a sustainable future, City of Port Phillip has a longstanding partnership with the EcoCentre who have operated out of the former curator’s residence in the St Kilda Botanical Gardens.
Since 1999, the Port Phillip EcoCente has delivered education, programs and services to more than 19,000 participants annually. We are keen for the Eco Centre to continue its great work transforming our community’s understanding of wildlife, waterways and climate change.
The popularity of the EcoCentre over this time has seen it outgrow its current building which is no longer fit for purpose. That’s why we are working in conjunction with the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) to deliver an updated, functional and sustainable building that will provide a more visually appealing presence on an iconic corner.
The impact
In February and March 2020 we asked the community to provide feedback on this concept plan to help inform the next stages of the design. A number of activities and tools were used to seek input and feedback. This included a drop-in session with approximately 30 participants, a survey with over 270 responses, postcards delivered to local residents, social media posts and newsletters. You can read the community consultation report (PDF 3.1 MB).
You can find out more about the community consultation on the Have Your Say page.
Objectives
Benefits of the redevelopment include:
- an improved look and feel balancing modern and heritage elements
- the incorporation of functional multi-use spaces
- the growth of EcoCentre programs and services
- sustainable design and building practices
- better internal and internal circulation due to improved floor plans.
The design builds on the key positive themes identified as a result of community consultation including:
- Aesthetic appeal of the redevelopment balancing the modern and heritage elements
- Incorporating sustainable building practices
- Functional and multi-use spaces
The design also now includes more detail and has incorporated individual suggestions into the landscape planting and sustainability attributes.
View the updated designs (PDF 6.8 MB).
Heritage Victoria has reviewed the plans for the redevelopment and, following a statutory advertised public consultation process in August / September 2020, have provided a Heritage permit for the construction works.
The consultant team includes a heritage consultant who will be actively working with Heritage Victoria to ensure the permit requirements are met.