Coffs Harbour Cultural and Civic Space

I object to this DA.

When the old Civic Centre Hall was given away by Council and was demolished more than 20 years ago, Council promised a new Civic Centre Hall. In more than 20 years this has not materialized. The current Cultural & Civic Space DA does not provide for a new Civic Centre Hall. Instead it aims to enlarge already existing causes. This development applied for will be mostly funded by debt and will further deny Coffs Harbour citizens the promised Civic Centre Hall for many decades. This is unacceptable. Honouring the initial promise is a priority.

A Civic Centre Hall large enough to function as a performance and entertainment centre as promised by Council more than 20 years ago is badly needed in Coffs Harbour. An obvious site to be explored for that project is the block in the CBD currently managed by the Ex Services Club, called C.ex Club. Council can have a performance/entertainment centre built and managed in partnership with the C.ex Club in Vernon St The C.ex Club or C.ex Group prides itself on its website
https://cex.com.au
to ‘exist for the community’, to ‘engage with each other and the community’, to ‘engage to have a lasting, positive effect on the community’, ‘ to exceed all expectations when assisting in the community’ . With this community orientated background and as profits are not a priority of the group there should be enough common ground to form a partnership with Council for building and managing a performance/entertainment centre which could also have cultural spaces attached that re proposed in the current insufficient DA.

The C.ex Group’s block is about 2ha and thus large enough to house such a centre and it is right in the CBD. Note that space in the CBD is scarce and therefore there should be no lawn bowling greens in the CBD except on roof tops. This would provide enough space for the still urgently needed and promised performance/entertainment centre. A partnership project between Council and C.ex Group for the benefit of the community is highly recommended.

It would also represent a much better use of the funds envisaged for the current DA. These funds could be better used for a performance/entertainment centre and cultural centre. An extension of Council rooms and office space can still be undertaken at the current Council building by adding another storey as initially planned.

The current Coffs Harbour city Centre Masterplan 2031 declares on page 5: ‘The Coffs Harbour City Centre Masterplan 2031 will be a living document that delivers short-term activation strategies and lays the groundwork for longer term dreams.’ This masterplan determines on page 30 the ‘Cultural Building’ (today’s term: ‘Cultural & Civic Space’) to be between City Square and Park Ave. This siting seems to have been abandoned, and justifiably so as it would have meant the demolition of a fully functional important multi-level carpark next to a major supermarket.

The same masterplan acknowledges on page 30: ‘An entertainment centre does not exist. A strategy for the development of a mixed use cultural building at the heart of the City Centre is required.’ This masterplan determines on page 34 the establishment of an entertainment centre by 2031: ‘Project: Entertainment Centre’. It concludes that the Entertainment Centre itself ‘requires a site of approximately 2,000sqm, and be located within the City Centre’. Several locations are suggested, some unfortunately totally inadequate for the purpose, especially when combined with a cultural building or when suggesting the demolition of another fully functioning multi-level carpark.

Even a look at the specific map on page 34 draws attention to the abundant space on the other side of Castle St on the C.ex Group block where the entertainment centre and the cultural building would fit in perfectly, fulfilling the masterplan benefits (page 34) ‘to pursue the opportunity to benefit from co- locating complimentary uses within the City Centre; and to provide an integrated parking solution at a key location in the City Centre to assist in alleviating parking capacity issues’. Council should be well aware of this opportunity as I have at various occasions submitted this opportunity over the years and they need to at least investigate this prospect before making the decision to abandon the promised entertainment centre.

With considering Council’s case and all options and the community’s needs the most urgent case is still the construction of a performance/entertainment centre as promised by Council more than 20 years ago and as manifested in the Masterplan 2031. All facilities in the current DA are already existing in the CBD and can be further incorporated into the missing performance/entertainment centre. For Council rooms and offices a level can be added to the existing Council building in Coff St or space can be leased nearby. Using the suggested funds for the development applied for would mean no performance/entertainment centre as promised for more years to come.

I am not affiliated in any way with Coffs Harbour City Council or the C.ex Group.

I also object to the listing of this DA of a Cultural & Civic Space under the Development type of ‘Museums, Gardens & Zoos’. The museum is a very small part of this DA, the garden is even a smaller part and there is no zoo in this DA.

Dida Brenner