A new 10-year vision for Wollongong Botanic Garden is off to a rocky start with the biggest supporters of the gardens claiming Wollongong Council looks set to make "a terrible mistake".
At a recent Council meeting, before the new masterplan went out for comment, there was agreement that the gardens were desperately in need of a cafe and visitors' centre. Lord Mayor Tania Brown said in any other city you visit, every botanic garden has a place to enjoy a cuppa and a scone.
The Friends of the Garden have been lobbying for a cafe for decades and there was initial relief when Council staff agreed to include one in their new 10-year vision. But when the plans went public, the Friends were aghast when the cafe was to be located "in just about the worst possible place", within the 104-year-old Cratloe Cottage.
Originally built in 1921 by James Fitzgerald, the cottage was once used as a gardener's residence for Gleniffer Brae, but more recently it's been an environmental education centre for students and visitors. The Friends of the Garden have also used the cottage but have outgrown it. According to one of the Friends, "it was too small, cold and dark".
In the Council masterplan currently on exhibition, the ageing cottage will be repurposed to become the garden's cafe and visitors centre, while a brand new toilet block will be built close to the entry to the gardens off Murphy Avenue.
Cottage riddled with asbestos
Meeting with The Illawarra Flame this week, the executive of the Friends said locating the cafe in a cottage that is "riddled with asbestos, needs a new toilet, kitchen, new plumbing and electrics as a starting point" would be "a disaster, requiring a total rebuild".
Even worse, Council has told the Friends they would require a new lessee of the property to pay for those significant improvements. Garden Friend Barry Baird said those works would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. "Quite frankly, if that is Council's best solution to get a cafe into the Gardens, well, it's never going to happen. It will kill off the whole idea," he said.
Another Friend, Felix Bronneberg believes Council has painted itself into a corner through trying to adhere to its policy of, where possible, not building new buildings if there's an alternative. "Their policy is to try to manage future needs by repurposing existing buildings as a cost saving, but in this case it would be a hugely expensive exercise," Felix said. "What's worse, the cottage is so far out of public view and up a hill about 500 metres from the entry to the Gardens it just wouldn't be viable as a business proposition. Where's the business case to do this?"
Barry Baird said he asked a successful Wollongong cafe owner to visit the site and provide feedback. "He couldn't find it initially, and he told me on location alone they'd be broke within six months," Barry said. "Council is trying to take the easy way out by repurposing the cottage but without a proper business plan. They could spend money and take time doing a business plan, but logically, the location and the condition of the building would make the whole exercise a waste of Council and ratepayers' money."
Multi-use facility located prominently
In its submission to Council, the Friends of the Garden are proposing they retain Cratloe Cottage as an education facility, while incorporating a visitors' centre, gift shop and cafe into current plans for new toilets in a prominent location close to the entrance. "It would serve as a welcoming first point of contact and offer orientation, maps and educational materials while providing a place for visitors to relax, refresh and engage, contributing to a more enjoyable and extended visit," the submission says.
The Friends say the multipurpose facility would also provide a base for volunteers and guided tours while at the same time providing a central location for merchandise and local products.
"With the masterplan in its current form, the only thing proposed at the entrance, with that iconic view, is a new toilet block," Barry said. "It's just nonsensical that they're planning to put a cafe in the worst possible place."
The Friends suggest Council should go back to the drawing board and delay the construction of a new toilet block inside the main entry until after planning for an integrated visitors' centre/cafe is complete. "It should be designed so it can be built in stages if they don't have the funds to build as a one-off project," Barry said. "If that meant a delay of several years, that would be better than a terrible mistake being made."
Friend Jane Crowe said she was disappointed with the "very little money that's been attributed to implementing the master plan to do what needs to be done. They want other people to pay for it," she said.
Council 'is sitting on a gold mine'
The Friends are convinced that without getting the location of the cafe/visitors' centre right the Garden will never meet its full potential.
"They're sitting on a goldmine here," Felix said. "We currently have 350,000 visitors to the Gardens each year, and Council wants to grow this number to 500,000. This can be done with an integrated tourism strategy and business plan with a well-located visitor information centre and cafe at the core.
"To be blunt, the Friends suggest that choosing Cratloe Cottage for the new visitors' centre and cafe is in essence a decision to not have a cafe," Felix said. "And we consider funding a feasibility study to find this out would be a terrible waste of Council's money."
The Friends say that while they welcome the masterplanning process and many of the recommendations contained within it, the future jewel in the crown of the Gardens will be the creation of a purpose-built, multi-use facility to cater for the future needs of the growing numbers expected to visit. The Friends say if Council gets that crucial element wrong the entire masterplan will be seriously flawed.
The Wollongong Botanic Garden Draft Masterplan is on exhibition until 20 August. Lord Mayor Cr Tania Brown said, "Planning for its future must be carefully considered and we certainly welcome the input of the community through the exhibition process." She said it was "vitally important all factors and functions of the Garden are considered in the immediate and long-term planning for the site".
The masterplan can be viewed on Council's Engagement website, our.wollongong.nsw.gov.au, the Botanic Garden Discovery Centre, all Wollongong City Library branches during opening hours and Council's Customer Service Centre at the Burelli St administration building between 9am to 5pm. Submissions can be made by emailing engagement@wollongong.nsw.gov.