Phase two consultation summary
13 August 2025
Thank you for having your say on the concept design of the Panania Library and Knowledge Centre. Feedback received over the exhibition period was greatly appreciated and will ensure this project delivers a great outcome for the community. A special thanks goes to the local students from East Hills Public School and St Christopher’s Catholic Primary School who took part in our workshops. We are now working through the design and will keep you updated via our Have Your Say page. Thank you again for your feedback.
The following provides details about the consultation and the feedback we received.
What we did
What we heard
We received 123 submissions with overall feedback supportive of the concept design. Many respondents expressed support for a new facility and upgraded space in Panania and appreciated the modern, clean and open plan design. There were particular suggestions around technology, acoustics and layout and Council will take this feedback on board through the next steps. We received a number of questions about the project and have consolidated these below.
Council will communicate with library users and the wider community ahead of the decommissioning of the current facility. During the closure for building construction, Council will continue to support this community in partnership with nearby Padstow, Chester Hill, Riverwood and Bankstown Libraries. Currently, no construction is anticipated at the site for at least 18 months as the project moves through next steps. Council will keep the community updated as the project progresses and communicate when dates for closure are confirmed.
This project does not extend to the adjacent parking lot and the existing public parking spaces on the site will remain.
The new Panania Library and Knowledge Centre has been designed within Council’s budget requirements and in accordance with the Community Infrastructure Strategic Plan 2050, which informs the planning, funding and prioritisation for the delivery of Council’s community infrastructure. The concept design delivers a larger library with flexible spaces to support a wide range of community uses. Council has chosen to build a new facility as refurbishing or working with existing buildings would have significant financial costs and would not be able to meet the current and future needs of the community, making the proposed redevelopment the best option.
Council has been communicating with the South Western Sydney Local Health District who currently utilise this facility and their service will move back to their former facility in Padstow. The current facilities at Panania will remain operational until the project commences on site. The timeframe for this occurring is approximately within two years. The new Panania Library and Knowledge Centre will include multipurpose hireable spaces which can be booked by the community groups and individuals.
The new Panania Library and Knowledge Centre will include multipurpose hireable spaces which can be booked by community groups such as the Senior Citizens Centre for their activities. Council has had discussions with the Senior Citizens Centre about their specific needs and will continue this discussion through the development of the design.
The existing Senior Citizens Centre will remain operational until the project commences on the site. The timeframe for this occurring is approximately within two years. During construction the Padstow and Revesby community centres are available for booking by groups using the existing centre and they will be given priority booking at these centres.
Next steps
Your feedback will help us to deliver a well-designed, future-focussed library that reflects the needs and aspirations of the community. The project team is now finalising the concept design, incorporating where possible the feedback gathered through this consultation. Thank you once again for being part of this exciting journey and we look forward to sharing more updates as the project progresses.
You can follow the project to receive future updates.
