Sunshine’s $52 million community and civic centre will save Brimbank council millions of dollars in the long run, according to chairman John Watson.
Unveiling designs last Thursday, Mr Watson said he was confident the council would save money by moving all of its staff to the Hampshire Road site.
He said the seven-storey centre, expected to open in June 2016, would be “one of the most outstanding buildings in Melbourne’s west”.
Mr Watson said having staff driving between the present Sunshine and Keilor offices created significant occupational health and safety issues. “Council is incredibly fragmented right now, which creates inefficiencies and costs in downtime,’’ he said.
Mr Watson said he could understand community concerns about the council shelling out tens of millions of dollars on a building. “The question is, however, can we afford not to do it?”
The new centre will also raise revenue by housing tenants on floors two through six, although the council has indicated a preference for community-oriented services like Victoria University or health agencies.
Mr Watson said the council would look to sell the council building in Sunshine in an agreement with VicTrack, which owns half of the land. “We’re talking to VicTrack and it’s better to sell the land as one package rather than bits and pieces.”
He said he was confident the council’s Keilor building would remain in the hands of the community.
“We’re not planning to sell,” he said. “The community has made it clear they want a community hub in Keilor.”
Construction on the new Sunshine centre is expected to begin mid-September.
