Community Engagement and Crisis Management

Weiya Holdings and Beckdev

The re-development of historically significant sites has become a necessary step in adaptive town planning responsive to the growing Gold Coast population, however it can often incite divisive public response.

Media Hunt’s expertise has been sought on numerous occasions to proactively undertake community engagement to effectively manage community sentiment towards developments on sites that hold sentimental value to communities.

Media Hunt was engaged by developers Weiya Holdings and Beckdev to carry out community engagement campaigns for their reinventions of the socially significant Old Burleigh Theatre and Coolangatta ex-Jazzland Dance Palais.

Media Hunt undertook extensive media & community/stakeholder consultation to reach a favourable outcome for both our clients and the community, with informative content on each project distributed across property focused online news outlets, local print media and News Corp publications.

As a result of community feedback, Weiya redrafted its design concept to retain the highly distinguishable “bookend” or façade on the front of the building, with considerable historic tribute to be showcased in the building foyer.

The innovative design went on to receive council approval and is set to become the first ever adaptive reuse of adaptive re-use of a building with heritage elements on the Gold Coast.

Similarly, Beckdev’s Jazzland redevelopment was welcomed by the community following a media campaign that clearly articulated the developer’s intention to produce a design sympathetic to the nostalgia and history of the location.