The Alpine Shire Community Infrastructure Needs Assessment (CINA) helps ensure community facilities across Alpine Shire continue to meet the needs of current and future residents.
What is a CINA?
We recognise the vital role community infrastructure plays in supporting healthy, connected, and resilient communities. Well-planned community facilities provide places for people to gather, participate in activities, access services, and engage in public life.
A CINA is a strategic, evidence-based process that evaluates the supply, condition, and future demand for community and social infrastructure across a municipality. To do so, a CINA:
- Examines the current provision of facilities and services;
- Considers future population growth, demographic change, and community needs;
- Identifies strengths, gaps, challenges, and opportunities; and
- Provides clear recommendations to guide future planning, investment, and decision-making.
A final CINA will support long-term, coordinated planning to ensure community infrastructure is accessible, equitable, financially sustainable, and fit-for-purpose.
What is the background?
Access to a diverse range of social, educational, sporting, and recreational facilities is essential for social connection, wellbeing, and community participation. Without a clear, long-term framework, it can be difficult to plan ahead, prioritise investment, or respond effectively to changing community needs.
Prior to this project, we did not have a single, municipality-wide, evidence-based assessment of current and future demand for community and social infrastructure. The CINA has been prepared to address this gap.
The draft CINA provides a strategic, future-focused framework to guide our planning and investment decisions over the coming decades.
What is the scope?
The draft CINA takes a municipal-wide approach and considers:
- Population growth and demographic change;
- Equity of access to facilities across Alpine Shire;
- Financial sustainability and long-term asset management;
- Condition, utilisation, and capacity of existing facilities;
- Gaps in service provision; and
- Opportunities to improve, consolidate, or redevelop facilities.
Key infrastructure categories reviewed include:
- Early years facilities;
- Health and community support services;
- Education facilities;
- Cultural facilities, community centres, and meeting spaces;
- Recreation and sporting facilities;
- Kindergarten Infrastructure and Services Plan (KISP) data; and
- Underutilised Council-owned land and facilities.
The draft CINA was prepared by SGS Economics & Planning Pty Ltd (SGS) and informed by a comprehensive evidence base, including:
- Facility audits and condition assessments;
- Population and demographic modelling;
- Service provision and demand analysis;
- Benchmarking and best-practice research; and
- Engagement with key user groups and stakeholders.
How did you engage?
Community members, user groups, and stakeholders were invited to provide feedback during an eight-week consultation period, which concluded on Sunday, 4 January 2026.
We received a significant number of submissions providing valuable insights into local needs, priorities, and opportunities.
What are the next steps?
In collaboration with SGS, we will review and consider all feedback received. Where appropriate, feedback will be addressed and incorporated into a final CINA.
The final CINA will be considered by Councillors at a future Ordinary Council Meeting in 2026.
A final CINA will provide a clear, shared understanding of community infrastructure needs across Alpine Shire and will inform our future strategic land-use planning, asset planning, and investment decisions.