Selwyn District Council

Community Facilities Network Strategy

Selwyn District is continuing to experience rapid population growth which is placing increasing demand on the network of community facilities across the district. Many of these facilities are owned and operated by Council, while other community or privately owned facilities also service the community. Over the past decade, several assets and facilities have been commissioned, built and/or planned across the district, with decisions relating to priority and investment being made based on a number of standalone strategies and plans .
Many of the population projections in these plans are now outdated, with most identifying issues and recommendations in relation to a discrete facility type, without considering the wider network as a whole. This has resulted in long-term investment decisions being made regarding facility construction, ownership and operations being made at a community level (rather than district), reactively in response to growth and demand, at an asset class level, and with council being the default land and asset owner.
Continuing this approach is not sustainable for council and our ratepayers and a more strategic approach is needed to guide development, ownership, operations, investment and disinvestment decisions across our network of community facilities and assets. Through this RFP, Selwyn District Council is seeking to engage a suitably qualified and experienced team to help us develop a district-wide Community Facilities Network Strategy, that will integrate all major facility types into a single strategic framework that:
• Aligns with current and accurate growth projections
• Effectively analyses supply and demand data
• Meets community wellbeing and social return on investment objectives
• Contributes to the long-term fiscal resilience of the council
The key output of this work will be the development of a ten-year (with consideration of the 30-year horizon) Community Facilities Network Strategy that will guide prioritisation and investment decisions into existing and new community facilities across the district. This Strategy will identity revenue diversification and optimisation opportunities, provide concrete recommendations to meet the future needs of high growth communities (e.g. Rolleston and Lincoln), outline the strategic risks and opportunities for council on a range of operating models, and provide clarity on the levels of service that can and should be provided by council.