Frequently asked questions

Below are frequently asked questions that may be helpful in understanding the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct project.

Q: What is a cultural precinct?

Culture adds colour and fulfilment to our lives and a cultural precinct is designed to offer a diverse range of cultural experiences. The definition of culture can be as diverse as those who visit the precinct. It can be a photograph, a painting, your favourite song, a movie you remember, singing, dancing and even the food you love. A cultural precinct is a place the community and visitors can come to enjoy all of these and more.

Q: What is offered at a cultural precinct?

A cultural precinct promotes a vast range of artistic, creative and educational pursuits – music, visual art, dance, theatre, film and more – and provides an insight into a local area’s heritage.

The community can enjoy learning in an interactive science museum, rehearsing music in a practice space or watching touring performers as well as see films or artworks that are normally only displayed at major metropolitan centres.

Residents and visitors can also learn how the local area has evolved - it’s social and economic development and indigenous heritage - through art and historical records. Importantly, cultural precincts the world over are uniquely different and are shaped by the contributions of their residents as well as the social, economic and natural environment.

Q: Aren’t cultural precincts just for the ‘arty crowd’?

Just as communities are diverse, so are the opportunities in culture and the arts. Cultural precincts literally offer something for everyone.

For instance, at the same time a surfing documentary is screened at the cinema, a ballet troupe could be practising next door in the multi-purpose hall.

Similarly, a chamber orchestra could be playing to a packed recital hall while a group of students could be learning how to ‘throw’ on a pottery wheel in a nearby room.
The cultural precinct will be a central hub where you can learn, participate and enjoy a vast range of entertainment options.

Q. What facilities will be available for children and future generations to use and enjoy?

The  new Gold Coast Cultural Precinct will offer many opportunities to support the creative and cultural development of our city and for our future residents and visitors.

Children, families and school groups will be able to enjoy interactive learning experiences at a proposed new local science museum, which is currently only available in Brisbane.

School groups and young people with an interest in film, art, music, dance and performance will have greater opportunities to become skilled and engage in a range of cultural activities. With access to rehearsal venues, theatres and halls with quality acoustics and new technology, the cultural precinct will be a state-of-the-art learning environment.

The natural features of the Evandale site will be retained. The lake, BBQ areas and extensive open spaces will offer visitors wonderful outdoor areas to enjoy when visiting the precinct.

Q. Why is a cultural precinct so important?

The existing Gold Coast Arts Centre is a popular facility attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, however the Centre has now outgrown the existing building.  In 2010 the community indicated overwhelming support for a new cultural precinct that offered opportunities for a range of local cultural activities.

The Gold Coast’s new cultural precinct will be a place where everyone can come together to enjoy a variety of entertainment options and social gathering spaces.

The precinct will feature a wide range of entertainment facilities. It will be a centre where adults, children and students can learn, explore, interact and perform.

By 2026, the Gold Coast population will exceed 730,000 residents, and the expansion of our city should also include a major cultural precinct.The Gold Coast has extensive sporting facilities and pristine natural environments but currently lacks a significant precinct to support the culture and the arts’ community.

Q: Why does Council believe we want a Gold Coast cultural precinct?

Following extensive public consultation in 2010, an overwhelming 92 per cent of Gold Coast respondents said they wanted a cultural precinct located at Evandale.

Council also has a responsibility to provide a multitude of opportunities for residents - sporting, recreational and cultural.

Q: Why propose a civic component to the precinct?

The civic component is only small, catering for 3-5 per cent  of Council’s workforce, and this is currently only a proposal.

A civic presence is commonly included in cultural centres.

As a regional city with a similar coastal location, San Francisco’s City Hall is located within its cultural precinct. This allows visiting elected officials and social and business leaders to meet the city’s representatives in an environment that showcases San Francisco’s unique identity.

Q: Why is the Cultural precinct being built at Evandale?

Since 1968, civic leaders have earmarked the site known as Evandale as the ‘city heart’. While a cultural precinct was never realised, the concept has never been abandoned.

The 53 acre Evandale site will provide a blend of sustainable urban development and open waterfront space. It will also include vast open green space and provide a platform to showcase our culturally and environmentally -diverse city.

Q: Don’t we already have a cultural centre at Evandale?

The Arts Centre Gold Coast is currently located at Evandale. However, as the city continues to grow, so does community support for arts and culture.

Attendance at The Arts Centre has grown from 100,000 visitors annually in the late 1990s to well over 500,000 today. The Art Centre has outgrown the existing facility, with almost 3000 pieces of art valued at approximately $14 million currently unable to be displayed in the art gallery.

Q: What could be included in a cultural precinct?

A range of facilities could be incorporated, including: • art gallery• 400-seat drama theatre• 2000 seat lyric theatre• 300 seat multipurpose concert hall• cultural library and interpretive centre• arts development and rehearsal space• café, restaurants and bars• arts-focused retail space • creative industries/multi-use/education space• outdoor amphitheatre• lake and BBQ facilities• cinemas• discovery science centre• museum• council workspace for 3-5 per cent of staff• city history library• ample car parking• green bridge to Chevron Island.

Q: What will happen to the lake and parkland?

Green open space is an intrinsic part of the masterplan for the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct. The recreational opportunities provided by the parkland are an essential part of the cultural precinct. In addition, the lake will remain as it is and be the focal point for the precinct.

Any redevelopment of the Evandale site would ensure no net loss of parkland. The amount of parkland may in fact be increased to accommodate an outdoor amphitheatre to stage performances and concerts.

Q: How will the community access the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct?

Access to any major facility is extremely important. This is another reason why the Evandale site is the ideal location for the cultural precinct as it is easily accessible by public transport, pedestrian and cycle pathways, by car and by boat.

In addition to traditional modes of public transport, the new light rail will disembark visitors in nearby Surfers Paradise. Then it’s just a short walk through Chevron Island’s many cafés, restaurants and bars to a new green bridge (pedestrian and cycle bridge) direct to the cultural precinct.

The Gold Coast has more canals than Venice and these provide a major transport option. Visitors to the cultural precinct will be able to access the cultural precinct by personal watercraft and water taxis.
The cultural precinct will also provide ample public car parking facilities.

Q: Are there any economic benefits of a cultural precinct?

The precinct will help diversify the Gold Coast economy, deliver a boost to the city’s construction industry and provide greater career and employment opportunities in hospitality, tourism and the creative arts sectors.

Currently, cultural activities are estimated to contribute approximately 1.5 per cent  of the Gold Coast’s Gross Regional Product (GRP). This equates to $400 million annually to the city’s economy. During construction, the project will create 1300 jobs and once completed, the precinct will support more than 200 ongoing jobs.

A new cultural precinct will offer an expanded range of experiences and attractions for visitors to the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast now attracts 10 million visitors per year and with tourism contributing almost $3.5 billion to the city's economy annually, investment in the cultural precinct is an investment in our tourism industry.

The tourism market has become increasingly competitive and it is vital that the city continues to offer new attractions to lure visitors from interstate and overseas.

Southern cities currently market their cultural attractions as part of the visitor experience, with travel agents including tickets to the theatre and other shows as part of holiday packages.

Q: What will a cultural precinct cost?

Input from the community gathered during the public consultation process will help shape the finalised masterplan for the cultural precinct. This, together with the staging of works, will ultimately influence cost estimates.

A qualified and experienced quantity surveyor has costed the current draft masterplan at $284 million and it is envisaged that funding for the project would be a collaboration between the three levels of government and the private-sector.

Q: When will it be built?

The Gold Coast Cultural Precinct is a long-term project with timeframes subject to finalised detailed design and project funding commitments.

However, should the Gold Coast's bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games be successful, the cultural precinct will be an important piece of infrastructure needed to deliver the cultural components of the games.

Q: Where are other cultural precincts?

Melbourne’s Federation Square and Brisbane’s Southbank are among Australia’s best-known cultural precincts. Internationally, major cities such as San Francisco, Paris and London also have major cultural and arts precincts.

In readiness for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Vancouver’s government planned and delivered a successful cultural precinct and the Newtown Cultural Precinct in Johannesburg was an important centre of activity for the staging of the 2010 Football World Cup.

Q. Will there be Council staff at the new Cultural Precinct?

Council will need to maintain a presence (approx 3-5 per cent of staff) at the Evandale site. The current Council Chambers building will be retained. The precinct will include the Office of the Mayor and workspace for various support staff, and will continue to serve civic functions, such as Council ceremonies and welcoming visiting delegations.

However, in order to give back the bulk of the Evandale site to the community for use as a cultural precinct, the existing Council administration building would need to be demolished.

Council has endorsed a long-term workplace solution for staff designed to deliver significant future cost savings and benefits for the community as well as relocate staff from Evandale.

A report is being presented to Council that provides options for the redevelopment of Council land at Robina as a major administration centre. Following consideration of this report, Council will make a decision on the relocation of staff from Evandale to Robina.

Q. Aren’t there more important things than a cultural precinct to spend money on?

A cultural precinct is an important component that makes up a modern city.

The Gold Coast is Australia’s sixth largest city and growing fast. It is vital that we continue to deliver all types of infrastructure. This infrastructure is not only designed to serve basic functions, such roads, bridges and parks, but also to enhance the quality of life for our community.

We are already seeing the delivery of new core infrastructure, such as the light rail, Carrara stadium and the new university hospital, as well as parklands and tourism infrastructure.

The new cultural precinct sits alongside these developments helping to make Gold Coast a great place to live.