In planning for the reopening of the Memorial Hall and the ability to appropriately take new bookings for future planned events, the attached draft Schedule of Fees and Charges for the Memorial Hall has been considered and endorsed by Council at its February Ordinary Meeting and is now on public exhibition for public comment until 5.00pm Friday 24 March 2023.
Background
In 2018, Council undertook investigations of the condition of the existing Memorial Hall facility and operational review to identify opportunities to increase utilisation with key stakeholders. A concept design was developed and following the successful application to Create NSW’s Regional Cultural Fund, the project to transform the Memorial Hall into a Cultural Arts Hub was able to commence. In 2021, the venue was closed to allow for preparation works and the construction of the enhanced facility. During this time Fees and Charges for the venue were subsequently removed from the general Council Schedule.
The scope of works for the project was as follows:
- the refurbishment of the existing Memorial Hall and associated amenities.
- the extension of Memorial Hall to provide an additional performance space.
- the redevelopment of carparking behind Memorial Hall to increase on the number of carparks currently provided in this area.
The vision of the initiative was to transform the centre from a ‘Memorial Hall’ to a ‘Cultural Arts Hub’, fostering collaboration, community and creativity by:
- Upgrading the existing facility and building new spaces that welcome new and diverse performances, performers, arts and workshops to the Shire.
- Providing a renewed facility that inspires new collaboration and artistic creativity within the community.
- Fostering and nurturing a healthy community culture through supporting various arts and cultural initiatives.
The upgrade of the facility has provided a quality regional venue that is able to accommodate a range of performances and exhibitions and has the ability to attract significant state of the art events to the region. Recognising there is an existing group of hirers that have utilised the Hall in the past and will continue to do so in the future, the Hall will also attract some new hirers, particularly those using the Studio space for a variety of purposes.
Historically, the Memorial Hall has had a traditional venue hire cost + additional services model of delivery which is common for local government managed facilities, however with a halls for hire model, venue hire fees are the only income available and therefore when the venues are primarily used by the community with high levels of subsidy, it is unlikely that they will provide adequate income.
A review of the fees and charges for the Memorial Hall has been conducted in consideration of the transformation of the venue which will elevate the venue’s performance experience, expand on available spaces and seating and introduce professional lighting and audio solutions. Particular emphasis on the charges for commercial hirers has been considered and the development of appropriate charges for the additional offerings of the venue including:
- Ticketing fees
- Staff charge-out rates
- Technical equipment fees
- Rental opportunities for the spaces above the foyer
Recognising there will be a range of community organisations and their capacity to pay will differ significantly, a tier based approach has been developed, in consideration of the types of organisations and the number of community hirers previously accessing the venue. Key considerations and impacts for Council in conducting the review included usage, bookings management and the ongoing operations to deliver an enhanced program of events.
The fee structure has been developed in consultation with the Memorial Hall S355 Committee and comparative to other like venues, benchmarked against neighbouring regional venues such as the Jetty Memorial Theatre in Coffs Harbour. These Fees and Charges have been developed as a base line for operations moving forward and will be reviewed and considered in the annual preparation of Council's Schedule of Fees and Charges as a component of the Integrated Planning and Reporting requirements.
To have your say on the Memorial Hall Draft Fees & Charges you can complete the below form before the closing date of 5.00pm Friday 24 March 2023, or email your submission to council via council@bellingen.nsw.gov.au.
The Schedule of Fees and Charges, together with any submissions received, will be considered by Council at the Ordinary Meeting to be held in April 2023.