65701

Sydney's Northern Beaches Council, after broad community consultation and expert assistance, has endorsed a plan to explore options to turn Manly Town Hall into a multi-use performance and exhibition space.

The Manly Town Hall became vacant  following the amalgamation of Manly Council with neighbouring Pittwater and Wahringah Councils to form the Northern Beaches Council in 2016.

Northern Beaches Council  will move forward with studies to explore the feasibility of turning Manly Town Hall into a multi-use performance and exhibition space and consider financial, social, cultural and environmental outcomes for the community. The studies will also consider different operating models with economic outcomes.

Northern Beaches Council Interim Chief Executive Louise Kerr thanked the community for the many ideas contributed and the working group, which had the tough job of considering a broad collection of ideas and accompanying research and then narrowing down the options.

Kerr shared “Three years on and 1,000 ideas later, this project is an excellent example of the community and Council working together to explore creative ways to get the most out of our highly valued community spaces.

“It’s not often we have the opportunity to reimagine a significant public space that has the potential to become an exciting cultural hub.”

The working group of 12 includes representatives from Manly Community Forum, Families for Manly, Manly Business Chamber, tourism experts, performing art experts, gallery and museum experts, experts with heritage backgrounds, and an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person. Manly Ward Councillors and the Mayor were also observers of the group.

The results of the studies are expected to take up to six months to complete and will be reported to Council later in 2023.

Back in August 2021, Sydney architecture practice Chrofi led a campaign to transform the Manly Town Hall into performing arts venue.

At the time Chrofi architect Joshua Zoeller noted “the site is very well serviced by public transport and has convenient parking nearby. It is therefore important that when council vacates this site, the building is re-used for a civic or public function; anything else will be a loss.”

The architects developed a proposal for a performing arts venue using scale comparisons with existing performing arts venues across Sydney and around the world, such as parts of the Sydney Opera House, the Eternity Playhouse, Carriageworks, Belvoir Theatre, the Old Vic in Bristol and St Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn.

Image. Chrofi proposal for a performing arts venue.

Related Articles

10th March 2023 - Northern Beaches Council seeks to address growing energy costs of operating Manly Andrew ‘Boy’ Charlton Aquatic Centre

14th December 2022 - New playground at popular Jacka Park one of many completed on Sydney’s Northern Beaches

24th November 2022 - Five of Sydney’s Northern Beaches sporting clubs share $100,000 in grants

10th August 2022 - Northern Beaches Council opens applications for sports grants

15th March 2021 - Northern Beaches Council improving outdoor hospitality in Manly

28th March 2023 - Works set to improve accessibility at Redland Performing Arts Centre

13th January 2023 - Refurbishment of Illawarra Performing Arts Centre now underway

2nd November 2022 - NSW Government’s Westinvest funds new performing arts centre and community hubs in Wollondilly

11th July 2022 - Australian Performing Arts Exchange to be hosted at NIDA in September

27th June 2022 - Goulburn Performing Arts Centre to offer music, comedy and circus in July  

1st February 2022 - NSW Government announces $85 million funding to support performing arts and live music

8th July 2011 - First Tickets go on sale at Chatswood’s The Concourse

19th July 2022 - Live Nation expands venue portfolio as it takes on operations of Anita’s Theatre

7th July 2010 - Artistic Developments at Company B Belvoir

---

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.

Click here to view our subscription options.