The Flemington Hub and Debneys Park redevelopment will create a new home for the community, fostering a sense of belonging and connection for locals.
Through a partnership between the Victorian Government and Moonee Valley City Council, it will provide modern, welcoming facilities for Flemington’s diverse, multi-generational community.
The aging, 60-year-old, Flemington Community Centre will be replaced with the vibrant and welcoming Flemington Hub. Construction is now underway and is expected to be finished late-2023.
Debneys Park will also be upgraded as part of the project giving local primary schools and sporting clubs a great new space to train, play and exercise.
The Mayor of Moonee Valley, Cr Samantha Byrne expects the upgrade will bring the buzz back to Flemington.
“We had a really old and dilapidated community hub and a woeful change room, servicing our sporting fields,” Cr Byrne said.
“So, to be able to incorporate them both into an amazing facility like this, it is really exciting. I can't wait until people can actually come and use this facility.”
The project is coming to life thanks to $32.3 million from Moonee Valley City Council and a $5 million grant from the Victorian Government’s Community Sports Infrastructure Stimulus Program.
A place to feel at home
The community asked for a place where you could feel a true sense of belonging.
The council asked locals, nearby schools and sporting clubs what they wanted so they could provide facilities that are important to those who will use them.
Several community workshops, surveys and drop-in sessions all helped to shape final product.
The hub has been designed to feel like an extension of your own living room – another place between work or school and your home. This means creating spaces for socialising, learning, working, gathering and playing.
On the ground floor, there will be a cafe and space to meet friends, study or work. It will also have community meeting rooms and classrooms, consulting rooms for outreach services, a dedicated art room as well as a prayer room for all faiths.
Four female friendly change rooms, an umpire's room, first aid and storage will also be available for sports clubs. There are also plans for a kiosk.
Upstairs, there will be a commercial kitchen, three large community halls which can be opened into one larger space for community events, performances, dance groups, forums, conferences and workshops.
A rooftop terrace will provide additional open green space, places to sit and a kitchen garden.
Another key feature of the designs is the outdoor areas that overlook the park. There will be different areas that are designed to allow you to sit back with others and enjoy the park.
A place to train and play
As part of the project, the Debneys Park sporting fields will also be redeveloped.
The park is used extensively by Flemington Primary School and Debneys Park Primary School, as well as local sporting clubs including Newmarket Phoenix Soccer Club, Moonee Valley Cricket Club, Royal Rhinos Cricket Club and the Western Leadbeaters Cricket Club.
The upgrades include the addition of two new soccer pitches and a new cricket pitch complete with LED lighting, installation of new cricket nets and building two new outdoor courts on the old Flemington Community Centre site.
The existing tennis courts will also be resurfaced, the underground sewer upgraded, and new perimeter fencing installed to improve safety.
Celebrating Flemington’s diverse community spirit Architecture firm Croxon Ramsay will bring the Flemington Hub to life.
“What excites me about the Flemington Community Hub is the urban context and diverse communities,” says architect Catherine Ramsay. “We have both long-term residents and new residents to the area. We want to create a hub where the whole community feels welcome. A lounge room, a backyard and a place to meet friends.”
“It is about providing spaces where people can meet, sit, talk, read and create. We see the forms and materials of our buildings as being integral to creating that feeling.”
The firm is committed to using environmentally sustainable design, Catherine adds.
“An integrated design that fulfils the spatial and user requirements, while providing an environmentally sustainable outcome is important to the success of the hub.”
The Flemington Hub will have solar panels, natural lighting and ventilation plus rainwater harvesting. This will help make it an environmentally friendly building and to reduce its carbon footprint.
At least 40 new trees will be planted as part of the landscaping.
