GOAL
Originally built to power the city’s tram and rail network, White Bay Power Station (WBPS) is now a heritage site and centerpiece of the future Bays West Precinct in Balmain. The site encapsulates significant historical and cultural values of the community. Placemaking NSW (PMNSW) has undertaken extensive remediation of the site to repurpose WBPS as an arts, culture and community hub. In March 2024 WBPS opened its doors to the public for the first major event in over a century – the 2024 Biennale of Sydney. To shape its future vision and use, PMNSW engaged JOC Consulting to deliver a far-reaching community consultation program. The consultation aimed to engender broad community support, gather insights on specific uses to inform the medium and long-term use of the White Bay Power Station as an arts, culture, creative industries and community hub. The consultation methods were designed to understand ways the site can foster social cohesion between future and existing communities ensuring it becomes a place where everyone feels welcome.
SOLUTION
From April to June 2024, 190,488 people from different stakeholder groups were made aware of the opportunity to have their say and 1,135 were formally engaged through online and face-to-face methods including:
- Communications collateral – web copy, poster, postcard, social posts, stakeholder emails
- 9 x targeted focus groups
- 6 x community pop-ups
- Interviews with Biennale of Sydney volunteers
- Postcard distribution to thousands of local residents
- Online community survey promoted across Sydney
OUTCOME
Throughout the consultation we heard an extensive range of ideas and broad possibilities for the future uses of WBPS, with a strong desire for flexibility in uses and diversity in programming and activation. The consultation period has concluded, and JOC is currently preparing a report that will outline the findings from the community consultation including nuanced insights from key demographics such as families, women and gender diverse people, CALD communities, people with different physical and sensory abilities and suburban visitors. The insights report will be used to help inform the future use and activation of the space.
Image credit: Placemaking NSW