Northern Beaches Community Hub

PROJECT UPDATE:
In March 2024, works began on stage 1A of Northern Beaches Community Hub.

These works will include an undercover multi-purpose court, adjoining kitchen and store, nature play and picnic spaces, as well as landscaping, pedestrian links and a parking area. Click here to learn more.

Civil works began on the site in November, 2022.

The Northern Beaches Community Hub will be a welcoming local meeting place with access to a range of community facilities in the heart of the fastest growing area in Mackay.

The northern suburbs of the Mackay urban area, namely Rural View, Eimeo, Blacks Beach, Dolphin Heads, Bucasia and Shoal Point, are collectively referred to as the Northern Beaches.

The Northern Beaches experienced the highest population growth rate and number during the recent high growth period in the Mackay region, growing from 8,800 in 2001 to 18,700 in 2016, as the Mackay region benefitted from expansions in coal mining, mining service industries and tourism.

The Northern Beaches remains a major population growth area. The population catchment had a population of 20,000 in 2018 and is projected to attract 30% of future population growth in the Mackay region, growing to over 30,000 by 2041.

What is a Community Hub?

A community hub brings together community facilities and social infrastructure services in a centrally accessible location. By co-locating services, a hub provides a local meeting place where the community can connect. This is an opportunity to create new partnerships and through cooperation deliver a range of community activities, programs, services and events tailored to the needs of the Northern Beaches community.

The Northern Beaches Community Hub has the potential to:

provide a community space that appeals to a broad range of users
be an active space catering to the health and well-being of the community
be a connected space connecting community spatially and digitally
be a flexible space to future proof the community hub
be a tropical space that responds and celebrates the local climate.

Proposed outcomes:

The Northern Beaches Community Hub will provide a focal point for services and activities. The concept will include spaces which could:

• cluster community facilities to deliver more cost-effective service delivery
• contribute to place-making and community building in the Northern Beaches area
• provide meeting spaces for community groups, families, seniors and youth
• provide a range of community activities, programs, services and events
• provide opportunities for cross-referral and delivery of community services and programs
• encourage co-operation and partnerships across community groups, government and the private sector.

The estimated cost to establish Stage 1A of the community hub is $10 million. The Australian Government has committed $6.5 million towards this project. Council is currently seeking further funding to deliver further stages of the project.

Aerial view of site