Support for concert hall
Business case call for Central Park venue
A CONCERT Hall could be built in the CBD’s Central Park after Townsville City Council voted to progress a business case for the new venue.
At a special meeting this week, the council endorsed a feasibility study undertaken by Jennifer Bott AO of the Chair of the National Institute of Drama and Art.
The report revealed the city would benefit from a new facil- ity offering a greater choice of venues and performances.
It also recommended the Queens Hotel site, however the council has prioritised Central Park on the banks of Ross Creek due to its proximity to the new stadium.
Mayor Jenny Hill said the report showed Townsville had a significant demand for a custom- built venue but was currently unable to meet the demand with existing facilities.
“Townsville is rich in arts and cultural events that would be enhanced and invigorated with a facility specifically designed for concert and musical performances,” she said.
“Seventy per cent of all bookings at the Civic Theatre are from the Townsville community and this shows we are very passionate about our arts and cultural experiences.”
Ms Bott consulted several local arts and cultural groups as well as operators from similar venues to recommend the operational model. “With such a high use of the Civic Theatre that is booked out years in advance, it causes difficulties in attracting national and international productions, and a new venue will relieve these difficulties,” Cr Hill said.
“The report goes as far as to recommend that the governance and management of the venue be given sufficient freedom and only report to council for efficient delivery of agreed key performance indicators. This management model opens more funding opportunities to come from philanthropic organisations and other types of sponsorship as the ‘ hall for hire’ model does not work anymore.
“The new facility would also have a focus on celebrating indigenous cultures that run deep in our community and offer learning and engagement opportunities to the community.”
Despite heavy lobbying from the Townsville Perform- ing Arts Centre group for the Townsville Civic Theatre to be used for a dedicated facility, the council rejected that proposal due to demand and the operating model.
Cr Hill said a new concert hall in the city would also need to have room available to display artworks, whether in a travelling exhibition or highlighting local artists.
“Council has approximately 3000 pieces of art in its collection with most of it in storage and a new venue will offer more opportunities to rotate this collection and promote our local talent,” she said.