Digital Hub Development and Rufous St Precinct Project

The Digital Hub is nearing readiness and on track to commence operations in June, 2018. The tender for private office spaces has been concluded and applications are being accepted for co-working. Fit-out of the interior has begun and high speed fibre connectivity has been installed at the building.

Director of the Digital Hub commented recently "We're excited about the level of talent we've seen through the Hub tenancy process and committed to providing a great environment that helps entrepreneurs generate high-quality jobs, and provides skills development opportunities, for our community in the years ahead." See the Peregian Beach Digital Hub's website.

Council has appointed former Lonely Planet innovation chief Chris Boden as Noosa’s new digital hub director. Mr Boden brings to the role almost 20 years’ experience in the digital sector.

The search for new and established tech businesses to occupy the hub would begin soon.The digital hub is part of Council’s plan to diversify Noosa’s economy and Council is fortunate to have secured a director of Chris’s calibre to lead this facility and ensure that it reaches its full potential.

Under Chris’s direction the hub will bring emerging and established digital businesses together to work under the one roof. That will generate opportunities for businesses to collaborate, learn from each other and train tomorrow’s digital entrepreneurs.

During his time with Lonely Planet, Mr Boden led the company’s digital transformation as the head of its Mobile division and Innovation Lab.

He was responsible for creating profitable mobile apps, eBooks and location based services which have generated over 10 million downloads, and been loaded into tens of millions of mobile phones.

Chris brings an extensive international and regional network of entrepreneurs, advisers, and partners to the role and this will help Coiuncil offer programs that will benefit hub participants and the broader digital community.

Mr Boden said he was looking forward to being based at the new facility and had seen, first-hand, the local economic opportunities that can be created by embracing innovation and fostering a digital culture. he said that he believed that there is a need for a strong local digital sector, in order to produce high-value jobs in the future and I’m excited to play a role in developing that culture.

The $3M digital hub, which sits within the Rufous Street precinct, will feature high-speed fibre optic internet access, meeting rooms, and shared work and event spaces.

Council hopes to remove the construction fencing next week, and open the car park, once finishing touches are applied to the building and landscaping work is complete.

The construction of the Digital Hub at Peregian Beach is almost complete, paving the way for the fit-out and the finalisation of tenancy arrangements.

The construction phase had gone very well and the contractor, Hutchinson Builders, expects to have both the building to a lock-up stage and the new carpark completed by the end of January.

Once building’s shell is complete then work will concentrate on the installation of services, including a very high-speed fibre internet connection.

Council is waiting on delivery of 112 solar panels that will generate 33 kilowatts of power with battery storage that will help contribute towards Council’s zero emissions goal.

After carefully examining a number of different business models, Council are finalise management and tenancy arrangements for the new digital hub.

The arrangements are for Council to manage the Hub for an initial two years, with the aim that it then transitions to a stand-alone operation in the longer term.

Council will be seeking expressions of interest from prospective tenants early in 2018, as well as appointing a dedicated industry expert ‘curator’ to actively manage the Hub over this time.

The creation of the Digital Hub is an important part of our Local Economic Plan. It will be a curated space primarily focusing on established and emerging technology enterprises with an emphasis on accelerating business and employment growth.

The Digital Hub is expected to be operational by mid-2018.

For more information about tenancy opportunities, contact Anthony Dow on (07) 5329 6500.

Council will take its time finalising management arrangements for the new digital hub to make sure the project is a success.

Council has opted not to award a management contract for the Peregian Beach facility following the recent tender process.

That process has given Council a clearer picture of the market as well as the possible costs of outsourcing the running of this innovative facility. The tender responses suggested higher than expected costs. It therefore makes sense to analyse the business model more thoroughly and explore various management options.

Council wants the best possible outcome for this facility, which is a joint project of Council with the State Government and needs to do the right thing by residents, the local economy, and the generous $1M investment by the State Government.

Construction work on the state-of-the-art digital hub, a centrepiece of Council’s Rufous Street precinct, is on track, with the roof now in place.

Council expects the building will be ready to open by early 2018.

The digital hub will house high-tech infrastructure and services, as well as meeting rooms, shared work spaces, and a cafe. Once open, the digital hub will likely be home to IT businesses, while also serving as an incubator for new enterprises."

Following today's decision to halt the tender process, Council will tweak its business plan with the aim of finalising the management arrangements before Christmas.

Thank you to those who took the time to tender for the contract.

Noosa Council wishes to thank residents and visitors for their tolerance while Rufous Street civil works are being completed and the Digital Hub preparatory works get underway.

We know finding a car park is frustrating while we have two projects happening concurrently but we are trying to make as much parking space available as quickly as possible.

Car parks on Rufous street should become available by the end of June.

The David Low Way car park, just south of the community house should reopen towards the end July- early August,weather permitting.

Please see a map of the temporary carparks available on the map in the document library to the right of this screen

Preparatory work on the new Peregian Beach digital hub, to be built on the northern end of the Community House carpark on David Low Way, will start this week.

Contractors expect to finish the project by Christmas, with the new extended carpark to open ahead of the building completion, weather permitting.

To make way for the digital hub, Council needs to close the existing carpark on David Low Way.

But it will stay open until Council puts the finishing touches on the new temporary carpark, already underway next to the tennis club, plus the Rufous Lane construction.

“Rufous Lane is currently under construction. It will provide easy pedestrian access between Peregian Beach village and the new temporary carpark on Rufous Street, which vehicles can enter via Woodland Drive,” Project Manager Adam Britton said.

The digital hub is a $3M project, funded by Council, with the Queensland Government contributing $1M in grant funding.

Mr Britton said works currently underway on David Low Way were almost complete.

New David Low Way pedestrian refuges and a raised crossing will help improve pedestrian access between the Rufous Street Precinct and the village.

“Council appreciates the community’s patience while the digital hub and carpark are built. We will be making every effort to minimise disruption to the community wherever possible,” Mr Britton said.

Civil works get underway at Rufous Street week commencing January 23, 2017. These include: formalising carparks and creating a temporary carpark beside the tennis court; Rufous Steet landscaping; upgrading the Rufous Street laneway; creating a pedestrian refuge at the Heron Street and David Low Way roundabout and raising the pedestrian crossing on David Low Way. For more details see the 17 January Project News located in the document library to the right of this screen.

Work on the new Rufous Street Precinct at Peregian Beach will begin in January 2017 after Council awarded a $768,000 construction contract on Thursday December 15, 2016.Council will raise the existing crossing on David Low Way and install a new pedestrian refuge near the David Low Way/Heron Street intersection to improve both safety and access. Rufous Lane will get LED lighting and new landscaping, plus pathway upgrades to better connect David Low Way and the kindergarten car park. Read more

Council has been awarded $1M in state grant funding for the Peregian Digital Hub project. Mayor Tony Wellington said " The project will house anchor tenants working in the digital field and also encourage new digital enterprises by providing support for start-ups." Read more.

Federal Senator Fiona Nash was briefed on a new Digital Hub planned as part of the Rufous Street project, on September 23rd. See Council's media release for more details.