Community at the heart of The Precinct
We’re in a critical era of local government where we simply can no longer operate as old. The face of infrastructure and service delivery is changing, and our Council must show strong leadership if we are to provide our region with much-needed (and affordable) public facilities now and into the future.
An improved indoor sport and recreation centre has been on the cards for Victor Harbor for many years and has had a number of potential iterations in that time. We have listened to our community’s call for action and explored accordingly. The decision to investigate a public/private partnership to deliver a sport and recreation precinct was not one our Council made lightly, nor without significant exploration of all options. However, we know that our community cannot afford this facility if delivered through a traditional method.
A public/private partnership (PPP) will allow Council to deliver a high-quality facility while minimising impact on our ratepayers. PPPs are becoming a prevalent tool for government organisations to manage their financial sustainability and meet their responsibilities to their communities. While more common in eastern States, there are local examples of PPPs being used to provide important facilities and services for communities including the Mount Barker Summit Recreation and Leisure Precinct, Two Wells Town Centre development project, as well as the new Royal Adelaide Hospital which remains a frontrunner for innovative medical care nationally.
The Precinct project will not be the first time the City of Victor Harbor has used a PPP to deliver community facilities. In the 1990’s the Council used this method to deliver the Causeway Café building, entering into a ground lease of the land with a developer who then built the facility and leased it back to the Council. This meant that the Council did not have to outlay the construction cost and had an important facility delivered for our community.
Victor Harbor and its surrounds is growing at a rate of 2% annually. This is something we can’t ignore, and the Council has a responsibility to ensure we respond effectively to this growth. Ensuring we have facilities and services that meet the needs of our whole community is paramount.
Delivering the Precinct is a team approach – Council Members, council staff and our community working together to contribute to our growing Victor Harbor. All decisions that have been made so far, have been made by your elected body as a whole. www.victor.sa.gov.au There are still a number of important decisions to come once we have finalised due diligence to ensure the best outcome for our region and Council will continue to keep you informed as things progress.
Council is resolute in putting our community first as we deliver a once in a generation piece of community infrastructure that we know will have a significant impact on the lives of many.