Wyndham council’s new community venue, known as The Big Shed, is causing a big fuss.
On 29 October, council announced it had entered the design phase for the new events space to be located at Fortitude Drive Reserve, Truganina.
It is planned to support community gatherings and hold up to 750 guests– or 1500 when used as a theatre–-along with a stage, community commercial kitchen and on-site parking.
Star Weekly has confirmed $24.4 million in developer contributions collected from Point Cook would be redirected to The Big Shed, following council’s decision in March to use the money for a regional community events space.
While a Wyndham council spokesperson said the city’s rapid growth and the demand for the facility justified the move, Point Cook resident Dwayne Kelly, who led a 1300-strong petition against redirecting the developer contributions, said he was disappointed.
“I was really disappointed and really angry but not surprised when I saw the news,” Mr Kelly said.
“The exact reason why I started the petition was because I had a feeling there was no way they could deliver a community space of that space in Point Cook due to the lack of land.
Mr Kelly said Wyndham didn’t need a new community space, with many residents believing spaces like the Wyndham Civic Centre and Encore Events Centre are underutilised.
“We have got the infrastructure already in place for community spaces, so why aren’t we developing those spaces better since we already have them?” he said.
“That way we could actually add new infrastructure to communities that are lacking it such as Point Cook.
“The fact they have called it The Big Shed is completely bizarre – we don’t need a big shed.
“If you look at what it’s planned for – things such as banquets, general community gatherings and cultural performances – we already have perfectly good facilities for that at the civic centre and encore.”
Mr Kelly said Point Cook residents were outraged that the funding was collected from developers for Point Cook.
“We have more than 70,000 people that still lack basic infrastructure – we don’t have an aquatic centre and we don’t have indoor basketball courts,” he said.
“It is an expectation that things like this should be built with this money.”
A Wyndham spokesperson said council is investing in The Big Shed because it will provide residents a “cost-effective” space that allows groups and individuals to run their own events and bring in their own food.
The spokesperson said Encore Events Centre and other halls are not capable of filling that need, but did not answer a question about utilising the Wyndham Civic Centre.
“Encore Events Centre is run by council and council is legally required to provide staff to oversee operations to ensure compliance with workplace health and safety standards… this increases the cost of hiring the facility,” the spokesperson said.
“Where hirers wish to run an event independently, council offers other community halls and centres that do not require staffed supervision.
“However, community feedback has indicated these halls are often not big enough for large community events.”
