The Leadership Work of Master Planning

Dr Adrian Camm, Principal and Managing Director

In 2022 we developed and launched a fifteen-year facilities masterplan. This process enabled sequential staged development and carefully stewarded investment in reimagining Westbourne Grammar for the future. The collaborative development and extensive consultative nature of the process critically examined our past, current, and future context via demographic analysis, and financial modeling, with the aim of determining the optimal student population for our multi-campus school. 

We explored our site context, geography, and existing conditions. We engaged in property and facility reviews, examined sports fields, landscapes, infrastructure, vehicle and pedestrian traffic, and the walkability, navigability, and wayfinding of our existing campuses. 

Through this lens a six-stage plan was devised for the further expansion and development of our Williamstown and Truganina campuses, and the development of a third campus utilising the school’s land investment at Lovely Banks. Situated on the outskirts of Geelong, Lovely Banks is set to have a new master planned community which will in time be home to 110,000 new residents across 42,000 new homes. Our master plan enables sustainable student growth from 1,700 students in 2022, to our current enrolment of 2,300 students, and a total future enrolment of almost 4,000 students, spread across three campuses. 

With Stage 1 of our masterplan almost complete, and the handover of our new Middle School building imminent, the design phase of Stage 2 has commenced, which will be the construction of a new music and performing arts facility. 

Master planning is a long-term strategic framework that guides the future development of a school site aiming to connect people and place. Connecting people to place is vital, fostering belonging, identity, and stewardship, transcending the built environment. 

A master planning process begins with your school’s unique educational philosophy and strategic goals. Comprehensive stakeholder engagement needs to be undertaken as you ask: 

• What learning experiences do we want to foster in 10, 20, or 30 years? 

• How do we ensure our spaces reflect our pedagogical priorities? 

• What is the current and future demand for student enrolment? 

Next, a comprehensive site analysis needs to be undertaken considering building condition audits, infrastructure, traffic flow, accessibility, and heritage factors. Important questions include: 

• What elements of our current infrastructure constrain our educational ambitions? 

• Is our existing footprint utilisation optimized? 

• How can we leverage existing assets more effectively? 

• What assets must we preserve and enhance? 

• Where are the pressure points today and where will they be tomorrow? 

• How does the Board view heritage preservation and campus modernisation? 

Working closely with professional architects and project managers, the next stage is to develop multiple future scenarios – each tested for feasibility, alignment to vision, and financial viability. Ask: 

• Do these scenarios align with our strategic vision? 

• What financial modelling/forecasting needs to be done? 

• What is the Board’s appetite for debt? Risk? And what are our mitigation strategies? 

• Is the masterplan financially viable and sustainable across different scenarios? 

• What phasing makes sense operationally? 

• How do we balance short-term operational needs with long-term transformation? 

• What governance, oversight, and reporting mechanisms will be in place to ensure successful delivery of the masterplan? 

Once a masterplan is designed and communicated, master planning shifts to staged implementation and the management of community expectations. Equally, considering the operational capacity of your Executive team needs to be a focus particularly with large-scale and overlapping staged capital works. Importantly, a masterplan must be a living plan – adaptable as the school and context evolve. 

Ultimately, the final masterplan should inspire and mobilise your community. It’s not merely a technical document. It is a vision statement that requires effective storytelling. The role of the principal is critical as chief storyteller, articulating a compelling vision of how place can connect people, foster belonging, and elevate the shared aspirations of the school. When told well, this story builds trust and invites every member of the community to see themselves as co-authors of the school’s future. A masterplan grounded in this narrative becomes more than a set of buildings or timelines. It becomes a living promise of what the school stands for and what it can become.