Land use and facilities
Generally
The overall land use aim is to make optimum use of the available land. Land for building on this site is in limited supply, and the costs of servicing a highly dispersed arrangement of buildings place unacceptable demands upon resources. The development of the University campus in adopting a compact linear plan anticipates an economy in servicing but maintains an appropriate relationship between buildings and open space.
To provide long-term flexibility and development the Master Plan seeks to describe broad ranges of use and hierarchies. This strategy is developed to utilise the efficiencies in clustering buildings by use and type.
Sub-topics
Primary building zone
Secondary building zone
Recreational uses
Buildings of significance
Utility buildings
Sippy Downs Town Centre
Community safety and crime prevention strategies
Primary building zone
Generally
These uses include all major buildings which should have an address to the central campus square. This category also includes the administration building as it is a high profile use for visitors to the campus and for day-to-day business.
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Secondary building zone
Generally
Buildings which fall into this category have multi-purpose uses, which service a number of faculties. This category also includes supportive or service buildings such as computer centre, printing or resource centre. These buildings would be expected to have limited interaction with the main pedestrian areas, and may in fact require isolation with no windows and blank walls.
Long-term development as it occurs laterally to the main axis accommodates secondary or supportive uses. These buildings will address the main pedestrian access routes into the campus square.
Buildings within this zone will create outdoor courts for localised student and staff use.
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Recreational uses
Generally
Recreational facilities shall be constructed in stages alongside campus development, and the Master Plan indicates the zone for such uses.
There has been significant development of the sports facilities since the campus opening beyond that initially envisaged. This acceleration is expected to continue through subsequent phases, and, with the development of adjacent residential sites and the removal of the need for student accommodation, increased areas are available for the development of extensive facilities.
Buildings of significance
Generally
Key sites have been identified which, because of their prominent locations, are most suitably used for buildings associated with some degree of primacy or ceremony.
The first of these to be built are the centrally placed Library and the peripherally located Innovations Centre. A further building of this type is proposed to be a reception centre, or Great Hall, for formal University functions The development is proposed to commence on the north-eastern most forward site when the University has developed a mature identity. The building should be designed with full recognition of its place in the University campus. The space between this building and its neighbour to the south is intended to be a formal square suitable for large gatherings.
Further building locations of significance are at the locations where the central axis meets the lake frontage, as these have both a highly recognisable location, and an architectural role in framing the view of the lake and the landscape.
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Utility buildings
Generally
Utility buildings include those building works associated with the sewage pumping station, maintenance plant, waste management and stores. These uses should be consolidated on the site with clear access for maintenance staff and some parking.
An area to the north-east of the campus building is allocated for this purpose which has direct service road access from the Sippy Downs Drive, and is visually screened from the main campus by the planting of the drainage swale.
An area to the south-west is also allocated for this purpose and it is anticipated this facility will be constructed in the near future.
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Generally
Development of the Sippy Downs Town Centre is to be heavily influenced by its role in accommodating the only university on the Sunshine Coast, and is intended to be developed as a fully integrated “University Town”. Through the adoption of appropriate land uses, the Sippy Downs Town Centre is to incorporate convenient transport, retail, commercial, community, cultural, recreational and sporting facilities and services, and function as an important employment node.
Maroochy Shire Council undertook planning for the proposed Sippy Downs Town Centre in 1997 following the establishment of the University of the Sunshine Coast in 1996. The Sippy Downs Planning Study, a Development Control Plan and the first (Conceptual) Master Plan were completed in order to provide for a “University Town” at Sippy Downs.
Accordingly, the vision for the proposed Sippy Downs Town Centre is for “…a discrete, significant, vibrant and sustainable township at Sippy Downs, focusing on and enhancing the Sunshine Coast University, and resulting in a richer and more diverse quality of life for the university, the Sippy Downs community and the Sunshine Coast.”
A review of the Sippy Downs Town Centre Master Plan was undertaken in 2005-2006 in response for plans for a public hospital and also to the State Government’s SEQ Regional Plan to meet increased residential targets. This review analysed, amongst other things, the appropriate amount of retail floor space, the preferred arrangement of the Core precinct, a revised road network to incorporate the motorway interchange, and the role of the Core and Business and Technology sub-Precincts to promote a compact, self-contained Town Centre. Extensive consultation with targeted stakeholders was undertaken in June and July 2006 that involved 17 State Agencies, the University of the Sunshine Coast, Town Centre landowners, the Sippy Downs & District Community Association (SDDCA) and local schools. The Draft master Plan was endorsed by Council in May 2006.
To activate the principles of the Final Draft Master Plan, planning scheme amendments were prepared and were endorsed by Council at its Ordinary Meeting on 27 September 2006 to enable commencement of the consideration of State interests. Council received ministerial approval to exhibit the proposed amendments on 1 May 2007. The proposed Maroochy Plan 2000 Amendment – Sippy Downs Town Centre was publicly notified from 8 May 2007 to 22 June 2007.
Following review of submissions, specialist input and legal review Council endorsed the Final Draft Master Plan and planning scheme amendments on 28 November 2007. The amendments were then presented to State Government for a second State interest check and are expected to be fully endorsed by the new Sunshine Coast Regional Council in early 2008.
The proposed amendments provide a robust planning framework for the development of the Sippy Downs Town Centre.
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Community safety and crime prevention
Overview
By effectively designing all layers of safety and security into the built environment the synergistic affect will enhance the safety and security of the community and the University, as well as reduce future operational costs.
Strategies
Designers and planners shall familiarise themselves with the application of CPTED principles, concepts and strategies, or engage the services of a specialist consultant, to ensure that their designs meet the intent of the Master Plan and specifically the goals of community safety and crime prevention. It is essential that designers clearly define the behavioural objectives for a given space and ensure that the design and use of that space supports those objectives.
Designers and planners shall familiarise themselves with the University Security Operational Plan and University Safety and Crime Prevention Design Standards and apply them to all stages of the planning and design processes of the built environment.
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