Thanks for having your say on the Campsie Hub!
2 May 2025
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the Campsie Hub project. The project team will now be progressing with the next stages of the project, incorporating feedback provided during the exhibition. We appreciate the thoughtful input from the community and we were excited to receive such positive feedback. The below provides an overview and additional information around some of the more commonly raised themes we heard during the community engagement.
Connecting with the Community
During January and February 2025, a total of 38,418 people were made aware of the project and 302 people were formally engaged through a variety of in-person and online methods.
What we heard
The community shared a variety of ideas about the Campsie Hub and the proposed concept design. Most feedback indicated strong support and included ideas and constructive suggestions to improve the design, functionality and future programming of the Campsie Hub.
Feedback has been categorised into the following key themes:
- General excitement towards the contemporary “look and feel” of the design and quality of the proposed facilities as a new addition to support the growing Campsie community.
- Support for the high ceilings, atrium-style design and feeling of openness that would allow natural light.
- Need for accessible, inclusive design, ensuring spaces accommodate prams, wheelchairs, diverse physical and intellectual needs and a variety of languages.
- Desire for more historic and cultural references, including First Nations representation, multiculturalism and connections to local history.
- Suggestions for rooftop access with the potential for a rooftop garden to expand open space.
- Desire for a larger and more functional customer service centre within the Campsie Hub, with some hoping to see Council broaden the service offering to assist elder residents with administration matters.
- Questions and queries relating to parking arrangements as well as drop-off areas and connections to surrounding streets.
- Feedback that the use of certain building materials, such as glass, might impact sustainability due to the perceived energy usage required for cooling.
- The community were interested in the project’s sustainability and how ESD principles would be incorporated into the design.
- The community were most interested in the library, appreciating its core function but also seeing its multi-functional potential as an informal gathering space that could also be used for events and activations.
- Participants liked the “indoor-outdoor flow” between the Library and Lofts Garden and hoped to see more integration between Lofts Garden, the café and Children’s Library.
- Strong preference for dedicated quiet study zones, soundproofed spaces and private study pods with comfortable seating.
- Interest in technology integration, including digital resources, improved Wi-Fi, power outlets and access to VR or AI-driven learning experiences.
- Strong desire for secure play spaces in the children’s library.
- Comments about the Library being located mostly on upper floors, making it feel disconnected from the community.
- Community members liked the variety in room sizes and were excited about how these spaces could be used and configured for various activities.
- Strong support for how well-connected the community spaces were to the Library, Campsie Plaza and Music Centre to facilitate events and collaboration.
- Desire for hireable spaces that are either free or low-cost for community groups, start-ups/entrepreneurs, small businesses, and creative collaborations.
- Interest in access to community rooms after dark for events and individual uses.
- Request for internet access, audio-visual equipment, built-in storage and modular meeting rooms.
- Interest in the café having outdoor dining and seating integrated with greenery, with a direct connection to Lofts Garden.
- Concerns about sound travelling between activities, highlighting a need to reduce overlapping noise if multiple events or meetings are taking place at once.
- People liked the connections with nature in the Campsie Plaza and Lofts Garden.
- The Campsie Plaza was primarily seen as a gathering space for socialising, live performances and or events while Lofts Garden was seen as a more passive space for reading, reflection and relaxed social interaction.
- Support for the Campsie Plaza to accommodate community needs and activities like informal board games and tai chi.
- Support for greening and retention of mature eucalypt trees, highlighting the importance of an enhanced tree canopy and planting to soften and cool the Campsie Plaza.
- Desire for planting of resilient native species to support local wildlife and enhance the natural environment.
- Requests for improved bike connections and secure storage to encourage active transport.
- Issues about safety, primarily for activity after dark in outdoor spaces, emphasising the need for adequate lighting, passive surveillance and well-designed pathways.
- Enthusiasm for live performances, youth-led concerts, open mic nights, and school or community group collaborations in the Campsie Hub and surrounding public spaces.
- Ideas for the Campsie Plaza and Lofts Garden to host community events, pop-ups and activations that complement the Campsie Hub’s indoor offerings.
- Desire for wellness activities such as yoga, tai chi, meditation and fitness classes.
- Interest in diverse programming at the library, including author talks, book launches, interactive workshops, community programming and digital learning experiences.
- Interest in creative programs, such as pop-up exhibitions, temporary galleries and artist-led workshops.
- The community, and in particular focus group participants, were excited by the music spaces, with strong support for rehearsal studios, recording facilities and performance areas elsewhere in the building.
- Importance of soundproofing so that music activities do not disrupt other building functions or nearby residents.
- Strong desire for late-night operating hours to accommodate musicians who work or study during the day.
- The success of the facility was seen as reliant on skilled facilitators, such as sound engineers and program coordinators, to support users in utilising the space.
- Issue raised about possible damage to instruments and equipment with suggestions including secure storage to ensure equipment remains safe and accessible.
- Need for clear connectivity to surrounding areas and interest in active transport links, bike paths and better public transport integration.
- Interest in how the spaces will be managed and ensuring clear booking systems for community rooms and performance spaces.
- Calls for retaining or reinstating health care services as part of the Campsie Hub, as the current site includes the Early Childhood Health Centre.
- Ideas for additional functions and services within the Campsie Hub including makerspaces, health and wellness facilities, retail and pop-up spaces, and sustainability initiatives.
- Outside the scope of the project, a group of organised community members attended the pop-up sessions and provided submissions relating to de-merger, general Council and taxpayer spending, funding and transparency.
Additional information about the Campsie Hub
Next steps
The next step for the project is to finalise the concept design taking into consideration community feedback, advice from technical studies and requirements of the NSW and Australian Government Grants. Following completion of the concept design, development applications will be lodged for the proposal, including an early works DA.
Once the development applications are approved, the Campsie Hub project will progress into the next stage of works including detailed contract documentation, tendering for construction services and construction of the new building and public spaces.
