To have any likelihood of being delivered, the NHG Project will require significant Council and community support. Despite the 2018 Council resolution to progress the future planning of a NHG at Lake Hamilton, the current site selection remains a contentious issue. This in turn hampers community engagement and ‘buy in’ efforts.
Other work completed in parallel to the NHG project, namely the adoption of the CBD Revitalisation Masterplan in May 2020, have provided further discussion over the project and its outcomes. A core issue is the best method for Council to revitalise the CBD with its own investment.
In order to provide objective and fair assessment of site potential, a comparative assessment (master plan, concept design and business case) of the CBD Civic site (to match that of the Lake Hamilton site), would provide full details for the purposes of impartial and informed decision making.