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Masterplanning process
What is a masterplan?
A Masterplan provides a long-term vision to guide future capital development works over a specific timeframe. It is a useful tool for planning and communicating the most effective way to undertake future infrastructure works to better meet demand.
A Masterplan supports a rationale for securing infrastructure funding and provides guidance on how to use funding when it is secured and are reviewed periodically.
What is the St Johns Park Health and Wellbeing Precinct Masterplan?
The Tasmanian Government is creating a Masterplan to transform St Johns Park in New Town over the next 20 years, into a contemporary Health and Wellbeing Precinct.
The Final Masterplan will provide a blueprint for the heritage-sensitive revitalisation of this historic precinct into a contemporary healthcare campus to meet the public health needs of Tasmanians. Its development will be underpinned by core planning principles, providing flexible capacity to meet future demand and changes to service delivery.
A Draft Masterplan, the first step in the masterplanning process, was released in May 2023. It proposed the establishment of a Health and Wellbeing Precinct to provide expanded mental health, sub-acute and community-based services.
The Final Masterplan will become a blueprint for the development and management of infrastructure at St Johns Park to deliver spaces that facilitate efficient, effective, and safe delivery of services.
Why are Masterplans important?
Every public hospital and health facility in Tasmania has a role to play in delivering quality care locally as well as supporting the delivery of statewide services. As a result, it is important to consider how each site is integrated and contributes to broader context and community.
The development of a Masterplan provides the framework to address issues identified with current health care infrastructure, and to meet projected demand for clinical services.
What are the key stages?
The Draft Masterplan proposes the progressive development of the St Johns Park site over the next 20 years in the following stages:
- Stage 1: a new Mental Health Short Stay Unit and the Tasmanian Eating Disorders Clinic
- Stage 2: development of an Older Persons Mental Health facility to replace the Roy Fagan Centre
- Stage 3: delivery of three facilities to accommodate older persons mental health, rehabilitation, geriatric evaluation and management, allied health, and palliative care services
- Stage 4: future development opportunities for both the Mental Health Services and Subacute and Community Care Zones.
These stages will be further refined as part of the next phase of masterplanning to consider service and infrastructure priorities, details of staging including decant and relocation requirements, facility co-location and dependencies, and other factors that will influence how works are staged.
Services
What services will be delivered at the St Johns Park Health and Wellbeing Precinct?
To enable grouping of similar services together on the site, the Draft Masterplan proposes that services are provided across two zones:
- Mental health services zone will include a Mental Health Short Stay Unit and the Tasmanian Eating Disorder Centre which is currently being delivered. In alignment with Government commitments, an Older Persons Mental Health facility will also be included on the site, along with future development opportunities for adult and older persons mental health services.
- Sub-acute / community care zone will provide opportunities to consolidate services such as palliative care, rehabilitation and geriatric evaluation and management services, and allied health.
The list of specific services that will be provided on site will be determined through the next phase of the masterplanning process.
What services and facilities will be offered at the community mental health facility?
The St Johns Park Community Mental Health Facility (Stage 1 of the current Draft Masterplan) includes a 15-bed residential mental health unit with four component services:
- Acute Treatment Unit (a day program area)
- Mental Health Integration Hub (consulting hub)
- Save Haven
- Recovery College.
Also, the Tasmanian Eating Disorder Service (TEDS) will offer 12 beds with a Residential Recovery Program including a Community Based Intensive Treatment.
What will happen to the existing non-clinical services on site?
The development of the St Johns Park Health and Wellbeing Precinct will enable some current non-clinical services to remain on site. Some current non-clinical services operating on the site will be required to relocate.
The Department of Health is committed to working with those currently operating from the St Johns Park site as the masterplanning process continues to further understand potential impacts on these services.
Stakeholder and community consultation
Have stakeholders and the community been consulted on the Draft Masterplan?
Yes. Consultation on the Draft Masterplan with key stakeholders and the local community was held in August and September 2023.
A total of 233 individuals provided feedback on the Draft Masterplan during the engagement period. Including staff, key stakeholders, and the community.
Feedback was received from Department of Health staff, current tenants of St Johns Park, and near neighbours. The local community were also invited to give their feedback through a variety of communication and engagement methods.
How were stakeholders and the community consulted on the Draft Masterplan?
Communication and engagement activities ensured, where possible, stakeholders and the community were made aware of the project and given opportunities to provide feedback.
Several aspects of the Draft Masterplan were identified for feedback, including public site access and open spaces, heritage of the site, urban design, and landscaping.
Consultation was collated into an engagement report that outlines in more detail how stakeholders and community were consulted, and the feedback received.
What feedback was received on the Draft Masterplan?
Topics of significance and importance included ensuring the cultural and built heritage of the site is preserved and acknowledged; car parking and traffic management; landscaping; and opportunities to improve current infrastructure and the site.
Overall, stakeholders and the community across all engagement activities were positive about the development of St Johns Park site into a Health and Wellbeing Precinct.
Feedback demonstrated that stakeholders and the community value the site’s cultural and built heritage, open and green spaces (including for community use) and availability of car parking.
How will the feedback be used?
The feedback provided on the Draft Masterplan has been collated into an Engagement Summary and will be considered in the next phase of masterplanning for the St Johns Park Health and Wellbeing Precinct.
This next phase is to produce a draft of the Final Masterplan for feedback from the community and stakeholders to be considered and incorporated into the process.
Onsite facilities
Will the Masterplan address car parking at St Johns Park?
The Final Masterplan will address issues such as parking, particularly for those with mobility constraints. The Final Masterplan will include additional car parking for consumers, visitors, carers, and staff.
Will the Masterplan include open and green spaces?
Ensuring the significant heritage of the site is protected, the St Johns Park site will be revitalised, and the Precinct will provide unique green spaces for community enjoyment, exercise, and reflection. The redeveloped St Johns Park site will provide safe and connected walking paths, including a pedestrian loop to connect key public areas with open space – improving amenity for consumers, visitors, carers, and staff.
Healing Gardens will be provided using the ‘therapeutic landscape’ concept, which engages the senses to bring about presence and calm.
The Final Masterplan will also detail how open space amenity and public access can be upgraded.
Buildings and heritage
How is it determined which buildings are demolished and which are retained?
The Draft Masterplan looked at development opportunities on the site. During this step in the masterplanning process we looked at issues such as the condition of buildings; the relationship of buildings, spaces, and services to one another; whether consolidating services could improve efficiency and patient outcomes; access to and from the facilities; and potential improvements in the use of land and buildings.
It also considered the built and cultural heritage values of the site and its buildings to understand for future development how best to conserve and celebrate the rich history of the site.
Which buildings are proposed to be demolished and retained?
As a result of the masterplanning process, the development of the St Johns Park Health and Wellbeing Precinct is expected to include the demolition of buildings that have been identified as unsympathetic to site heritage. These are:
- Clive Hamilton Building
- Houses 15, 17 and 19 on St Johns Avenue
- Transport Dept Admin and Garages
- Karingal Building and Hall
- St Johns Park Bowls Club
- Boiler House and Inga Building
- Wingfield (Partial)
- Carruthers Building
- Dental Store
- Administration Building
- Canteen/Amenities and Kitchen.
The remaining buildings, including those with built and cultural heritage values, will remain and opportunities for adaptive reuse will be explored in the next phase of masterplanning.
How will the heritage and history of the site be preserved?
The masterplanning process will document the built and cultural heritage values of the St Johns Park site. This will enable us to understand how best to conserve and celebrate the rich history of the site. A specialist heritage consultant has been appointed who has conducted condition and heritage assessments of the existing site. This information will be used in masterplanning to guide adaptive re-use and preservation of existing heritage on site.
The Department will also update the prior Conservation Management Plan for the site to outline how heritage will be conserved across the site into the future.
Timing and next steps
When will the Final Masterplan be released?
The Final Masterplan is expected to be released in Mid-2025 once feedback from the community and stakeholders is considered and incorporated into the process.
What are the timeframes for delivery?
The Final Masterplan will present a long-term vision, over the next 20 years, to guide future capital development for the heritage-sensitive revitalisation of this historic precinct into a contemporary healthcare campus to meet the public health needs of Tasmanians.
What are the next steps for the St Johns Park Health and Wellbeing masterplanning process?
The feedback provided on the Draft Masterplan will be considered in the next phase of Masterplanning for the St Johns Park Health and Wellbeing Precinct.
During this process we will look at issues such as whether consolidating services could improve efficiency and patient outcomes; access to and from the facilities; and potential improvements in the use of land and buildings.
The Final Masterplan will detail how the built and cultural heritage of the site can be preserved and how open space amenity and public access can be upgraded. It will include landscaping and traffic management designs, as well as new wayfinding and interpretive signage.
Feedback and staying informed
Can I provide feedback on the Final Masterplan?
Yes.
A draft of the Final Masterplan will be released for feedback from the community and stakeholders.
To find out when consultation opens and how to provide feedback, visit the Department of Health website www.health.tas.gov.au/priority-projects
If you would like to provide any feedback about the Draft Masterplan in the meanwhile, you can do so via email to [email protected]
How can I stay informed as the Masterplan progresses?
Stakeholder and community consultation on the Draft Masterplan for the St Johns Park Health and Wellbeing Precinct was held in August and September 2023, and is now closed.
You can read more about the Draft Masterplan and how we engaged in the Stakeholder and Community Engagement Summary.
The feedback provided on the Draft Masterplan will be considered in the next phase of masterplanning for the St Johns Park Health and Wellbeing Precinct.
The masterplanning process is not the end of engagement with the community and stakeholders. Implementing the vision requires careful planning and design, and the Department will re-engage with key stakeholders and the community throughout the planning, design and delivery processes as appropriate.
Please visit the Department of Health priority projects to find out more and register your interest in being involved.
Any questions can be directed to our engagement consultants, RPS, by email to [email protected] or by phone during office hours on 1800 175 761.
