Council to apply for federal funding for Anglesea hub designs

Published on 26 February 2025

Surf Coast Shire Council will apply for federal government funding to progress the Anglesea Community and Health Hub project to the design phase.

At its meeting on Tuesday night, Council resolved to submit a funding application to the Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program for $775,000 for design development.

The design development phase, which will include more community engagement, is expected to cost $1.135M in total, with Council having allocated $250,000 in its 2024-25 budget, plus Council received a $110,000 Building Blocks Planning Grant from the Department of Education.

Applying for funding for detailed design is the next step for this project after Council adopted the Anglesea Community and Health Hub concept plan at its July 2024 Council Meeting.

Located on McMillan Street, the hub is home to community groups and agencies that deliver a range of services. Its ageing buildings are struggling to meet community needs, so Council is working to develop a 30-year plan that meets future needs and allows integrated service delivery. 

The concept plan for the site incorporates some existing facilities, and includes a new community and occasional care building, a new health and medical building as well as a green heart space for events and markets.  It is intended that all services and user groups will have the same space allocation and better facilities to meet current and future needs.

The concept plan includes some affordable rental housing for local workers as there is an urgent need for this in Anglesea and the Surf Coast. In 2021 Council declared a key worker accommodation crisis in recognition of how a lack of affordable accommodation was impacting the sustainability of communities.  The site will remain under Council ownership.

Otway Range Ward Cr Leon Walker said the timing of grant funding announcements was currently not known and would determine commencement of the next phase.

“If our funding application is successful, we will work with precinct user groups during the design phase to resolve space allocation, layout and fit-out. The contributions from precinct user groups that informed the concept plan will inform future work.” 

“I know there’s a lot of interest in this project, and we want to make sure the design also reflects community aspirations, so we’ll be calling on all of the community to provide input once we’re at that stage.”

“The timing for this engagement isn’t yet known, but we don’t expect it to happen until early to mid-2026, depending on when funding can be secured.”

Find out more about the project.