GPAC revamp given the final stamp of approval

THE $38.5 million Geelong Performing Arts Centre redevelopment is one step closer to transforming the CBD into a major cultural hub.

State Planning Minister Richard Wynne announced approvals for the project, expected to start construction in October of this year.

The GPAC redevelopment will include an accessible Ryrie St entrance, two new foyers, a bar area, and two new art studios/rehearsal spaces.

Mr Wynne said the project “ticks all the boxes”.

“It’s going to create jobs, offer up new opportunities for budding performers and add to Geelong’s title as a cultural capital,” he said.

“We’re completing big projects in Geelong all over the city that are all about helping Victoria’s biggest regional centre reach its true potential.”

The multi-million dollar upgrade was an election commitment from both Labor and the Liberal-Nationals at the 2014 State Election.

Four companies have been short-listed to duke it out for the project tender – ADCO Constructions, Built Pty Ltd, Cockram Construction Ltd and Kane Constructions Pty Ltd.

The State Government is expected to hand down the final construction contract in August ahead of the October build.

Since being opened in 1981, GPAC has provided a popular performance space for local, national and international acts, with more than half of the events at the centre presented by the Geelong community.

Geelong MP Christine Couzens said an upgrade of the centre was desperately needed.

“The Geelong Performing Arts Centre has been the heart and soul of Geelong’s arts and culture sector for nearly four decades but it badly needs an overhaul,” Ms Couzens said.

GPAC is Victoria’s only state-owned cultural institution outside Melbourne, and more than 220,000 people attend performances at the centre each year. The project is expected to create more than 100 jobs during construction.