Melbourne’s reputation as one of the world’s foremost music cities is about to get another boost thanks to a new music and arts precinct set to be built in the heart of Collingwood, taking over the site of the former Collingwood Technical School on Johnston Street.
As Beat reports, work on the new creative hub is set to begin following a windfall of over $10 million, with a view to seeing it completed by 2019. According to Fairfax, the state government announced last month it would contribute $3 million to the project.
Another $4.5 million was raised by private donors and the former Liberal government had spent $4 million on the project, which will provide spaces for non-profit creative organisations, as well as performance venues, studios, rehearsal spaces, galleries, and workshops.
“I’m a big believer in ‘don’t waste any space’,” Marcus Westbury, CEO of Contemporary Arts Precincts, who will run the precinct with input from the state government, told the Sydney Morning Herald last month.
“We want to invite the creative community to use the space and see how it works in practice before finalising the design; see how people flow and circulate, where they queue and all those sorts of things.”
Submissions of interest for large organisations looking for bigger spaces are now open and submissions for smaller organisations and individuals will open next year. According to Fairfax, more than 60 arts organisations have already inspected the site.
The news comes just a month after the Victorian government announced the construction of a new $105.5 million facility to house the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, which will move from Parkville’s ancient Melba Hall to join the Victorian College of the Arts in Southbank.
According to Fairfax, plans for the grand building include a 443-seat auditorium and a public square at 33 Sturt Street, with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews promising the facility will be state of the art.
In a statement on Facebook, Premier Andrews lamented the fact that talented Melbourne-based musicians currently feel the need to move overseas to seek the superior educational facilities in Europe.
Photo: Victorian Heritage Database
