Glen Waverley’s $110 million community hub gets one step closer

Set to cost the council more than $110 million, the project will involve the construction of a new library and community hub.

Matthew Sims
June 06, 2025

Monash Council has taken the next step in finalising the plans for a $110 million-plus community hub project, with updated designs set to be put out for public consultation soon.

During Monash Council’s meeting on Tuesday May 27, the council passed a motion to acknowledge the project has now surpassed Milestone 3A out of five milestones.

The motion also outlined the updated design plans would be released for public consultation later this month.

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What will the project involve?

Located in the Kingsway precinct, the Glen Waverley Civic Precinct Project will deliver a new library boosting the current floor space from 1,000 to 3,000 square metres, a 500-seat hall, offices and meeting rooms.

Built in 1976, the current Glen Waverley Library attracts 226,000 visits per year, but lacks space for large community events.

With an expected cost of more than $110 million, the council aims to entirely fund the upgrades via the recent sale of the Central Car Park for $50.88 million and the upcoming acquisition of council land by the Suburban Rail Loop Authority.

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What has been Monash Council’s response to the updated plans?

Monash councillor Nicky Luo said last Tuesday’s motion was a “significant milestone” for the project, which will fill in the gap for communities wanting to host events or meet up.

“Despite its high usage, there is currently no dedicated space within the Glen Waverley Activity Centre for civic events and large community gatherings,” she said.

“The demand for a modern, welcoming and functional space has never been more evident.”

The new designs showcase a 500-seat hall, offices and meeting rooms.

Deputy mayor Brian Little said the current space was not suitable to deliver services for the more than 200,000 residents across Monash.

“This will be the first really significant construction for this council in over 40 years,” he said.

“Considering how we’ve grown during that period, $110 million sounds like a lot of money, but really, we have a budget now of something like $240 million a year.”

“This is not just a library…it’ll also provide offices for 150 staff…it’ll provide a 500-seat hall…and many meeting rooms.”

While he voted in support of the motion, councillor Josh Fergeus said he still has concerns over how council could go ahead with such a large-scale and costly project while continuing with other capital projects.

“I don’t think, as a council, we’ve dealt with some of the difficulties,” he said.

“I think this project in this form is more important and a higher priority than some of the other things that council does.

“I think it requires us to be a little bit more fiscally restrained.”

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What’s next?

Public consultation will be open on the Shape Monash website from Monday 23 June to Sunday 27 July.

Following the consultation period, the council will begin to work towards Milestone 3B, which involves preparing and lodging a planning permit for construction works within the existing Heritage Overlay.

The council will then put the project out for tender.