Curtains for Tivoli? (WA)
Mon, 16 Feb 2009, 10:40 amNoticeboard7 posts in thread
Curtains for Tivoli? (WA)
Mon, 16 Feb 2009, 10:40 amMelville City Herald, Page: 1
Saturday, 14 February, 2009
By Matthew Hogan
LOOMING development and potential sale of the historic Applecross District Hall precinct has the Tivoli Theatre Group worried.
Melville city council is seeking public comment on how the 2lOOsqm carpark next to the interwar hall and library directly opposite the swanky riverfront Raffles could best be used.
Council CEO Shayne Silcox confirmed the site was earmarked for development, to be either leased or sold. He stressed the art deco hail would he retained.
"[It ’sI a heritage-listed building that is currently leased through a management licence to the Tivoli Theatre Group.
"The hall will be retained and developed in accordance with a conservation plan." That ’s cold comfort to theatre group president Sandy Sharpen, who says she ’d been led to believe that sale plans did not include the hail.
"We have been told by the Melville council that any future development of the site would include an upgrade of the building," she told the Herald.
"We were however led to believe this would be done by the council.
"Should the sale go through refurbishment may take place, but we fear that the current lease agreement we have with the Melville council would not be upheld." Ms Sharpen said verbal assurances had been given about continued community use but the council had not put anything in writing.
WA Art Deco Society president Vyonne Geneve shared Ms Sharpen ’s concerns: "[The halli is a community facility and if it is sold the council will be giving up a community asset.
"It will lose its local value for the people for which it was designed. I think that ’s an important issue.
"They will have to keep it the way it is because it ’s heritage-listed, but the people would no longer be able to use it." Mayor Russell Aubrey said there was nothing to worry about: "The liv oh Theatre and the on going use of it is set in concrete," he said.
Dr Silcox said the council ’s preferred option was to lease the carpark site but it had to consider the merits of an outright sale.
Mr Aubrey said an attractive, sustainable building that generated income was the best outcome for ratepayers. "We could obviously put the car park underground and possibly develop on top and generate funding to maintain our rates at a lower level," he said.
Submission close March 6.
http://www.melvillecity.com.au/about/community-consultation/consultations/business-plans-2009/business-plan-canning-beach-rd-kintail-road.pdf
The show will go
Mon, 23 Feb 2009, 10:50 amWalter Plinge
The show will go on
Melville City Herald, Page: 3
Saturday, 21 February 2009
By Matthew Hogan
THE Tivoli Theatre Group is confident its home, the Applecross District Hall, will not be sold following a community forum about Melville city council ’s Canning Bridge Rail Station Precinct study.
Wednesday night ’s forum at the civic centre saw about 60 residents him out to discuss the council ’s development plans for the Canning Bridge precinct, including the historic hail and its adjoining carpark, just over the road from the Raffles complex.
"The Tivoli representatives left the meeting feeling confident that the club was secure," president Sandy Sharpen said. "However, like most of the
people attending, we were concerned that the council get the development right as regards to traffic flow and parking [and not] repeat the mistakes made in the past."
With the future of the car park up for public comment it may be leased or sold but will almost certainly be developed either way Melville Mayor Russell Aubrey agreed parking availability remained a big issue.
"Any development on site will take into account the need for parking and the need to provide more parking," he said.
"Imagine if you put up a five-storey building, you ’ve got a parking problem already.
"You need to provide the current parking plus parking for the five-storey building plus additional parking and that would be a part of any building approval," the mayor said.
Mr Aubrey said residents at the forum expressed support for higher density development in the precinct.
"There would be some multi-storey buildings in that area to create a community hub incorporating the library and senior citizens centre and other facilities in that area," he said.
Developers with environmentally sustainable plans might win certain concessions: "Water usage, electricity usage, all those aspects that make for a core, environmentally-friendly building," he said.
"Those were the considerations put forward and people gave it the thumbs up generally. There were some concerns as to how far out the higher density should go."