Townsville City Council looks to develop 1,000 seat concert hall

Townsville City Council has accepted a feasibility study into the construction of a 1,000 concert hall assembled by Jennifer Bott, Chairwoman of the National Institute of Drama and Art.

Accepted by a special meeting of the Council last month, the report recommended that the new facility be located at Geon Property’s proposed The Hive development on the city’s King Street or at Central Park, with the Council choosing the latter site.

The Council prioritised the best location for the venue as Central Park on the banks of the Ross Creek due to the proximity it will have to the new North Queensland Stadium and the opportunity the venues would have to create an entertainment and exhibition precinct.

Commenting on the report, Bott said the major concern with designing a new concert hall was making it viable for the long term, advising “the current cultural facilities were designed for a city with half the population.

“There are nearly 200 cultural organisations in Townsville, there are many organisations that need space.”

Highlighting that the city’s Civic Theatre was booked out years in advance, Bott added “Townsville has been off the touring circuit for many years.”

Townsville Mayor Jenny Hill agreed that the city’s current venues are unable to meet the demand, backing a new custom-built venue.

Mayor Hill explained “Townsville is rich in arts and cultural events that would be enhanced and invigorated with a facility specifically designed for concert and musical performances.

“70% 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.

“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.

“The recommendations tie in with the Pure Projects report and the CBD revitalisation plan with the creation of an entertainment and exhibition precinct in the vicinity of the new stadium and within the Priority Development Area.

“The report goes as far as to recommend that the governance and management of the venue to 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 runs deep in our community and offer learning and engagement opportunities to the community.

“The new concert venue needs to be built to provide opportunities to offer concerts and cultural events, and also have the capacity to generate real experiences that people can smell, see, hear, taste and touch.”

In compiling the report, Bott spoke to numerous local arts and cultural groups, as well as operators from similar venues to recommend the operational model that should be applied to the proposed Townsville facility.

Despite heavy lobbying from the Townsville Performing Arts Centre for the Townsville Civic Theatre to be used as the dedicated performing space, due to demand and the operating model, this proposal was rejected.

Mayor Hill said a new concert hall also needed to have room available to display artworks whether they are a travelling exhibition or highlighting local artists.

She added “Townsville City Council has approximately 3,000 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.”

Click here to view the Feasibility Study for a Concert Hall in Townsville.

Images: The QPAC Concert Hall, on which the new Townsville Concert Hall could be based (top) and Townsville from the air (below).

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