CREATIVE ART SPACE NORTH
At the meeting on 27 June 2017, Council resolved to allocate $1million, from the Merger Savings Fund, for a creative art space at the northern end of the peninsula.
During the public engagement phase the community enthusiastically embraced the initiative and contributed through more than 650 submissions, workshops and an Advisory Group of over 30 participants.
This engagement primarily identified community needs, functions for the space and location criteria for the siting of the facility.
After working through a list of over 30 sites, the Avalon Annexe, Avalon Golf Club House, Mona Vale Village green field site and the Avalon Bowling Green site were shortlisted for further assessment.
These shortlisted sites were developed into concept designs to enable costing estimates, with the Annexe concept used as a basis for the costings on the green field sites.
During the initial site analysis and assessment of the shortlisted sites, it was identified that none of the sites were able to meet all the essential and desirable user requirements within the allocated budget of $1million.
A minor increase to the allocated budget will deliver a scaled down version of the desired facility at the Avalon Annexe or the Avalon Golf Club House, enabling a staged approach to the project. The estimated cost for a reduced scope at these sites is $1,220,000 or $1,250,000, with each meeting some of the user requirements in different ways.
The Avalon Annexe building is recommended as the preferred option for further community engagement as it has the ability to meet all user requirements and also meets the location criteria. The Avalon Golf Club House does not meet the location criteria and the other options are substantially over budget. To deliver the best outcome to the community, additional funds are required for the Avalon Annexe. The renovation and additions are estimated to cost $2,100,000 to deliver the full scope and a high quality result. The build could be completed in stages, pending budget availability.
