Flemington Hub and Debneys Park

A vibrant new community Hub will be delivered at Debneys Park, to replace the existing Flemington Community Centre and Debneys Park sports pavilion. In partnership with the State Government, we will be redeveloping the sports fields and lighting, installing new cricket nets and constructing two outdoor, multi-lined basketball and netball courts on the old Flemington Community Centre site. Temporary facilities will be established on-site for the duration of the works to ensure our Welcoming Neighbourhoods team can continue delivering key services to the community.

The Flemington Hub and Debneys Park project will be completed in three stages:

Stage 1
March 2021 – mid 2021
Installation of the Flemington pop-up, a temporary hub for key programs and services from Flemington Community Centre, as well as demolition of the existing centre.

Stage 2
Mid-2021 to early 2022
Construction of the outdoor basketball/netball courts, cricket nets and sports field redevelopment.

Stage 3
Late 2021 to 2023
Construction of the new Flemington Community Hub.

On the ground floor, the Hub will open into an inviting foyer with a café and space to meet friends, sit and study or work. The ground floor will feature community meeting rooms, classrooms to support family and children’s activities and other programs, consulting rooms for community organisations to provide outreach services and a prayer room available for all faiths. A multipurpose room with adjacent kiosk plus four gender neutral change rooms will support both sporting clubs and community programs. Umpires’ room, first aid and storage will also be available for our sports clubs.

Upstairs, three large community halls can be opened up into one larger space for community events, performances, dance groups, forums, conferences, workshops and more. A commercial kitchen adjacent to the halls can be used for micro-businesses, training and catering for events. The first floor also includes classrooms for language programs, training programs and meetings, a dedicated art room and a community lounge perfect for study, reading and our youth drop-in programs. A roof terrace will provide additional open green space, places to sit and a kitchen garden.

The Flemington Hub will be a Council owned and managed facility. The Welcoming Neighbourhoods team, who are currently based at Flemington Community Centre, will relocate and offer their services from the new Hub.

Council has committed $21.94 million to the construction of the Flemington Hub. Council was also successful in receiving a $5 million grant from the State Government, which will contribute to the outdoor sport and recreation infrastructure and sporting components of the Hub.

The new Hub will be located over the current sporting pavilion, adjacent to the existing carpark. It will overlook the sporting fields and sit alongside the tennis courts.  You can view a map of the location on the Flemington Community Hub webpage.

We will look at minimising impact to Debneys Park, however, sections of Debneys Park will be closed off during various stages of construction as a safety precaution. Signage will be put up around the park and our website and social media pages will continue to be updated for further information.

Retaining trees on site is important to Council, we will be doing everything possible to retain existing trees and continue to monitor their health up to and during construction. We will be working with landscape designers to include additional trees and plants on site.

Council is working to achieve a 5 Star outcome under the Green Building Council of Australia’s Green Star building rating system. This outcome would classify the Flemington Hub as achieving Australian Excellence in sustainable building design and construction. 

This will be achieved through various aspects of the design including (but not limited to) rainwater harvesting, excellent solar-passive design, natural lighting and ventilation, plus designing a high performing building envelope to maximise efficiency of heating and cooling systems.

The material selection during the design process will be based on a strict criteria to ensure durability, use of recycled content, impact on biodiversity, and preference to sourcing from renewable sources and responsible practices.

It was hoped that the Flemington Community Centre would be in operation until the new Hub was completed, however, the centre has deteriorated rapidly in recent years and has now reached the end of its useable life. The is why we’ve made the decision to close the building earlier than anticipated.

 A temporary facility (the Flemington pop-up) will be constructed for the duration of the Flemington Community Hub construction.

We will continue to provide key programs and services currently offered at the FCC throughout construction, either at the pop-up facility or at nearby Council venues. You can email the staff of FCC for any program queries at fcc@mvcc.vic.gov.au. 

Two outdoor, multi-lined basketball/netball courts will be constructed on the site where the current Flemington Community Centre is located.

Flemington Community Centre (now decommissioned) has supported a wide range of community services and activities. The building was struggling to meet the existing community need and has rapidly deteriorated, reaching the end of its useable life. Demand for most services is high and there is an increasing need for spaces for classes, programs, training and community events.  While the sports pavilion in the park is heavily utilised, it is also in poor condition. It has no public toilets or social space and does not comply with sporting code guidelines.

The vision for the hub is create a new heart for the community and to provide a centre that brings all people together from diverse and multi-generational backgrounds. The Flemington Hub will be a vibrant, welcoming and flexible centre, with activity and program rooms, family facilities, creative spaces, consulting rooms and sports changeroom and recreational facilities - as well as plenty of spaces to sit, meet friends and relax.

We will provide regular updates on our website, social media pages and through our newsletter as these dates become available. You can subscribe to our newsletter on this project webpage. You can also email the Flemington Hub team at FlemingtonHub@mvcc.vic.gov.au or call 03 9243 8888.