The Challenge
The Bundaberg Recreational Precinct is part of a reserve managed by Bundaberg Regional Council. It contains a variety of event spaces, community group clubhouses, playing fields and outdoor spaces that are used extensively by a wide range of communities of interest. Multiple buildings have been built over a period of many years without an adequate overall long-term view. Often the trigger for a new building would be when community grant funding becomes available at relatively short notice and it was necessary to find a site and design a building. With the extensive site history, some buildings needed demolition while others were newer and in a good state of repair. More recently, Council developed a large undercover equestrian event facility with associated stalls and stables. Equestrian areas dominate the BRP and compete very favourably with similar facilities elsewhere in Queensland.
Following a valuable preliminary round of consultation and research by Council staff, the Council saw the need for a strategic direction for the future development of the precinct covering the next 10 years. This would be particularly important to help Council be ready to apply for grants for further improvement and development.
One of the challenges to a coherent plan was the diverse range of community groups using the precinct, ranging from small regular club meetings to annual large-scale events such as Agrotrend and the Bundaberg Show.
The Solution
Working closely with the Council's Project Manager, the project team undertook further research and consultation before creating concepts and illustrations that assisted with engaging further with internal and external stakeholders.
The masterplan recommended that the Council significantly enhance the entry experience of visitors to the site, making it much more intuitive to identify where to park and how to enter the precinct. Internal wayfinding and improvements to internal and external spaces would create opportunities for diverse types of events.
Obviously, implementing the master plan requires funding and a committed Council. Fortunately, in June 2020, and after completing our masterplan, we had the pleasure of commencing the detailed design for the first stage of works, following our successful tender for this second commission. InsiteSJC engaged a talented team of sub-consultant Architects, Landscape Architects, and Engineers to develop the masterplan ideas into concept designs then detailed designs.
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