At a meeting on 27 June Council resolved to allocate $1million of the Merger Savings Fund was allocated to the development of a new cultural space. 

In addition to these funds Council will investigate funding through grants and partnerships as appropriate. 

Through the Administrator’s Minute on 27 June 2017, the northern end of the local government area (eg Newport or Avalon) was identified as the location for a new cultural space. 

As part of the project development, Council is assessing its assets for suitability for a cultural venue.  It may be that a pre-existing built asset is utilised. 

In the spirit of the Merger Savings Fund, the location for the space will need a decent level of pedestrian access so it can be enjoyed broadly.

The Northern Beaches has a diverse range of hard and soft cultural infrastructure.  Assets range from permanent regional venues such as Glen Street Theatre and Manly Art Gallery & Museum through to festivals and ephemeral spaces and sites.  On the Northern Beaches we’re fortunate to have dedicated spaces for arts development, including the Creative Space, Curl Curl, Eramboo Artist Environment, Terrey Hills, and the Tramsheds, Narrabeen.

We celebrate the unique creativity matrix on the beaches, that includes public and privately operated spaces, creative industries, schools, businesses, individual practitioners and creative collectives.  Understanding the cultural landscape is key to positioning our new cultural space, and in accordance with this Council is undertaking detailed research and mapping.

The model for the space will be informed by the community engagement process, and refined through further research.  The model will be informed by arts development principles – that we support the development of creative individuals and organisations. 

What will be in the space will be informed by community engagement, advisory committee and asset mapping and research. This dataset will be tempered by practical considerations, such as location, zoning and budget.

The project is being funded through the Merger Savings Fund, which utilises savings generated through amalgamation to provide a pool of money for projects that directly benefit the community.  This project will be geared towards broad benefit – aiming to enhance cultural access for residents and visitors to the northern end of our council.     

The cultural space is a different project to the performance space.  Funds have been allocated for the cultural space through the Merger Savings Fund, with a view to adopting a concept plan by June 2018. 

The performance space project was announced in early August by the Northern Beaches Council Administrator and NSW Education Minister.  The announcement outlined the first steps in the project, namely a feasibility study and establishment of a charitable trust for fundraising. 

The Department of Education will grant Northern Beaches Council permission to create a purpose-built performance and arts facility within Mona Vale Public School.  Northern Beaches Council will carry out a feasibility study on the facility in consultation with the NSW Department of Education, which will include a detailed business case.