​             SIPA has developed a concept plan for the development of a new St Ives Village Community                          Centre (SIVCC) on the Cowan Road car park site.

            The objectives of the concept plan include:

            To provide for a new facility on the Cowan Road Car park site:
                         –Owned wholly by Council.
                         –Perhaps stratum of lower parking levels, additional parking over 800 spaces
                         –Serving the community with appropriate, relevant facilities, including:
                                   - New enlarged Library,
                                   - New larger Neighborhood Centre,
                                   - New Early Childhood Centre,
                                   - New Occasional Day Care Centre,
                                   - An older persons facility,
                                   - A flexible space on the top floor with both enclosed space and open space for                                           community events, display of art works and small scale performing space                                                                          together with potential for private functions. 
                                  - Meetings rooms and storage space for community groups,
                                  - Each of the proposed spaces includes an open area to allow flexible use.
                                  - Direct connection by underground passage to the Shopping Centre.
                                    and,
                                 – Providing support for activities on Cowan Oval and the Village Green, including                                          an underground passage below the Village Green Parade.
           
              The Concept plan replaces the concept plan for a community facility  and inadequate town                                         square on Woolworth's site, together with some community facilities spread throughout the                                       Shopping Centre
               
                  Notes: 1.  Many  existing facilities are not be wholly  owned  by Council as  they are integrated                                       with the Shopping Centre. 
                              2.  The concept does not replace the Memorial Hall on the Village green and the                                                       integrated Youth Cafe.
                             3.  Nor does the concept proposal eliminate the need for the Community facilities on                                            Mona Vale Rd and Rosedale Rd site which are leased under license to other users and                                              invariably unavailable for alternate community needs.

               •SIVCC would be possibly the best community facility on an iconic site integrated with                     Cowan Oval and Village Green.
 
            Development of the concept, over more recent times, has been in collaboration with the St Ives                                 Village Shopping Centre which has expressed the desire to develop additional levels of car                                          parking in conjunction with the SIVCC to ease parking and enable redevelopment of the shopping                             centre.
     
            An architects' representation is below, together with typical floor plans

Typical parking level layout