WHEN IS A "CIVIC" BUILDING NOT A "CIVIC" BUILDING?

ANSWER:   When it's the proposed George Town LINC Hub!

The Education Department's Planning Development was advertised as a "Civic Building Incorporating Service Tasmania, Learning and Information Network Centre and Child and Family Centre...

AGAIN – refer to the Tasmanian Planning Commission's letter to the George Town Council of 7 Dec 2010  on the earlier posting, where the TPC indicates its opinion that a branch of Service Tasmania  is use class "Civic Building";  but the Child & Family Centre best fits the use class "Educational Establishment"  and a LINC / Library best fits the use class "Health Centre".

The Development must be assessed against the GEORGE TOWN PLANNING SCHEME which gives the following definitions:

A Civic Building - is one designed, used or intended to be used by Government Departments, statutory bodies, or the Council as offices, assembly rooms, meeting halls or other like purposes and includes a general post office, telephone exchange, police station, fire station, or ambulance depot.

eg Service Tas, Housing Tas., meeting rooms – IF they ARE meeting rooms ? #   

The Planning consultants for the Education Dept contend the GT Hub is NOT an Educational / Establishment

Educational / Establishment  means a primary school; high school, college, technical institute, academy, university or other educational centre, PUBLIC LIBRARY, lecture hall, art gallery, or museum but does not include an institutional home.     

NOT PERMITTED IN A "CIVIC" ZONE

#There are 4 large 'Training Rooms', 2 'Consulting Rooms' and a 'Parent Room' on the first plan, but these are ALL re-named 'Meeting Rooms' in the latest plan.     – see attachment.   http://www.georgetown.tas.gov.au/webdata/resources/files/LINC_Proposed_Floor_Plan.pdf

WHY?   Because it better fits the 'civic' use?   

 The Planners contend the GT Hub is NOT a "Health Establishment", but do not mention Consulting Rooms / Health Centre

Health Centre  means a maternal and child welfare centre, a centre for the care of handicapped persons, an x-ray centre, a public medical clinic, a nursery or a day care centre, crèche or kindergarten but does not include consulting rooms;                     

NOT PERMITTED IN "CIVIC" ZONE

Consulting Rooms / Health Centre  means a building or part of a building (other than a hospital) used by a legally qualified medical practitioner, dentist or by a chiropodist, physiotherapist, masseur, chiropractor, dental mechanic or other person ordinarily associated with a medical practitioner or dentist;     

NOT PERMITTED IN "CIVIC" ZONE

 What were/are the "Consulting Rooms" on the Hub plan for?

The Planners contend the GT Hub is NOT a Place of Assembly

Place of Assembly

means a building used or intended for use as a place of recreation, entertainment or amusement and includes use as a theatre, cinema, dance or concert hall; casino, meeting hall, reception room, recreational grounds, church or Licensed Establishment;                          

Private Recreation means the use of lands for parks, gardens, playgrounds, sports grounds or other grounds for recreation which are not normally open to the general public;    eg  HUB PLAYGROUND

Public Recreation means the use of land for a public park, public garden, foreshore reserve, playground or grounds for recreation which are normally open to the public;     eg   REGENT SQUARE

Principal Use means the predominant activity proposed or existing for which land is utilised and where more than one activity is proposed or in operation then the Principal Use is the use determined to have the greatest affect on the neighbourhood or environs;

SO, IS THE HUB A "CIVIC" BUILDING, OR NOT???

The Education Department's promotion of their LINCs, CFCs and Hubs certainly focus on 'education' and 'health' issues - support for learning and literacy, community training programs, gaining new skills, support services for children and families, child care, adult education, library, computers....

A perusal of distributed promotional material and of websites show an emphasis on these two 'uses' with only the Service Tas., Centrelink and other government services matching the 'civic' use.   Google for more!

http://www.education.tas.gov.au/childandfamily/plans/governance 

http://www.linc.tas.gov.au/fast-facts/

Even a recent note on Parent's for the George Town Child and Family Centre (CFC) Facebook says:

"Wow! Only a week until the state forum here in George Town. If you have children in birth to 5, grandchildren, nephews, nieces, or work or have an interest in early childhood education and health then this is for you...."

Just because the services are "integrated" does not change the nature of the service or the "use" for Planning purposes.

If the Principal Use in this building is 'health' and/or 'education' it is not permitted under the George Town Planning Scheme on the portion of Regent Square that is subject to a Discretionary Use as "Civic". 

  

The changes to all the rooms formerly labelled 'Training' and 'Consulting' and 'Parent' Rooms to 'Meeting Rooms' on the most recent plans seems to be an attempt to make the Hub better fit the 'Civic' use. 

"Friends of Regent Square"