Informed by community and stakeholder engagement undertaken throughout 2019-2021, community members collaborated with the Shire's design consultants to develop three concept options during a three-day Collaborative Design Forum in May 2023. Additional feedback from key stakeholders and a panel of community members helped progress the development of two viable options developed during the Collaborative Design Forum. Community feedback was then sought on refined versions of the concept options via a survey in July 2023. 

The Shire's design consultants further refined the options based on the community feedback. The panel of community members then made recommendations to the Shire, prior to Council endorsing a preferred option in September 2023.

The Cultural Hub will be located on the land between Jacoby and Craig Street, between the Mundaring Hotel and the St John WA ambulance depot.

Council has provided a budget of $25 million to deliver the project, the majority of which will be directed towards design and construction of the Mundaring Cultural Hub. 

While the Shire has capacity to fund the project, it will advocate strongly for funding from both the State and Federal Governments to reduce the financial impact to the Shire. 

A key component of the project is to co-locate community facilities. One benefit of co-location is improved efficiencies compared to servicing and upgrading numerous, ageing facilities.

Significant modelleling will be undertaken to ensure user costs are as affordable as possible.

Council will determine the future of existing community facilities on a case by case basis. Council will consider factors such as the heritage value of the facility and whether productive re-use of the facility is a sustainable option.

Significant community and stakeholder consultation undertaken during earlier project stages has helped establish a robust set of design principles and a comprehensive understanding of user priorities. The Shire will continue to seek feedback from the community and key stakeholders as the designs progresses, to ensure continued alignment with community expectations and aspirations. The Shire will also be seeking expressions from community members interested being part of a community reference group, whose role will be to provide regular feedback during design development for the Cultural Hub. 

Register with Engage Mundaring to receive the Shire's eNewsletter and be kept informed of opportunities to have your say. You can also check this project page regularly, as details of all community consultation activities and project updates will be posted here.    

A larger and improved replacement of the Albert Facey Memorial Library has been needed for quite some time and other facilities are not well suited to accommodate their current uses. Consolidating facilities and services will also improve efficiencies in energy use, facility maintenance and staff resourcing.

The Mundaring Cultural Hub will help activate the Mundaring Town Centre by creating a strong anchor to the reimagined civic and cultural heart, better supporting:

• community wellbeing and access to services;
• local business; and
• tourism development.

The Shire is committed to improving connectivity throughout the Town Centre.

The Shire will be continue to advocate to Main Roads WA to improve pedestrian connectivity and safety across Great Eastern Highway, consistent with its endorsed planning strategies.

No roads are proposed to be closed.

Local streets will be improved to make a more welcoming environment for pedestrians and encourage lower vehicle speeds. Jacoby Street will be the focus of such improvements and will be designed to accommodate use for large public events (markets and community events); Jacoby Street would be temporarily closed during such events.

The Mundaring Men's Shed are constructing a new facility in the Mundaring light industrial area.

The Shire is working with St John WA to find a new premise for the Mundaring ambulance depot which meet their needs.

An important objective of the project is to increase access to safe, affordable and diverse housing options, close to services. Future development will need to align with the community's vision for the sustainable growth of the Mundaring Town Centre, including:

• Increased residential densities;
• A mix of new commercial uses that complement a vibrant and welcoming Cultural Precinct. These may include shops, hospitaility (such as cafes and retaurants) and offices;
• Improved circulation and connectivity; and
• Improved streetscapes and vibrant public spaces.

A review of existing parking in the Cultural Precinct demonstrates that the area is already well serviced by street parking. There also has been strong community feedback that parking should not dominate the landscape. However, we understand that parking remains a high priority for some community members.

The approach to carparking within the Cultural Precinct is to:
  a) Retain the majority of existing street parking;
  b) Improve the quality and efficiency of street parking;
  c) Ensure priority access to new and existing community facilities for those with high accessibilty needs (e.g. ACROD);
  c) Ensure sufficient and dedicated parking is provided for community vehicles (e.g. mini-vans used by community groups);
  d) Improve parking for long-vehicles (e.g. caravans);
  e) Identify and deliver improvements to existing, gravel parking areas, in order to maximise their capacity; and
  f) Consider some new parking areas.

Much of the existing vegetation onsite is introduced. This means it did not originally grow in Mundaring and was instead planted after european settlement.

However, there are some sections of large trees which the community still value and would like to retain, where possible.

Where practical, existing large trees will be retained and integrated with new buildings and landscaping.     

There are many reasons why a pool and gymnasium are not proposed as part of the Multi-Purpose Community Facility. Some of these include cost, demand and the availability of land.

The cost to construct a regional level aquatic facility and gym would be in excess of $30 million, with an estimated operating deficit (cost to ratepayers) of between $1 million and $2.5 million annually (influenced by the low numbers of people living in surrounding areas).    

Also, the Shire's Recreation Facilities Informing Strategy (2019) found that the Shire's existing aquatic facilities meet benchmarked demand and there was no requirement for a regional aquatic facility. 

In regards to land requirements, an indoor aquatic facility and gymnasium would take up a large portion of the land currently planned to accommodate the proposed Multi-Purpose Community Facility, as well as anticipated future development (which may include civic, community, commercial, retail and/or residential purposes). 

Notwithstanding the reasons mentioned above, if at some future point:
a) there was sufficient demand to build a regional aquatic and gymnasium facility in Mundaring: and
b) community willingness to pay the construction and ongoing operating costs,

the project would be so large, that it would require its own significant resources to manage consultation, planning, design, funding and construction.

The Cultural Hub is proposed to include:

• Library
• A new home for Mundaring Arts Centre, including galleries and studios
• Visitor centre
• Local history museum
• Some shared-use, multi-purpose community rooms
• Limited commercial space intended for uses that complement the functions of the Cultural Hub (e.g. toursim retail and hospitality)