Final Report Brighton Cultural Precinct

Prepared for Bayside City Council

September 2014

DISCLAIMER

In accordance with standard professional practice, it is stated that Michelle Read is not responsible in any way whatsoever to any person or organisation other than the City of Bayside in respect of the information provided in this report, including any errors or omissions therein, arising through negligence or otherwise however caused.

The reproduction of this report for internal purposes by the City of Bayside is automatically permitted. However, for professional indemnity reasons, reproduction or distribution of the report or parts thereof for other purposes is prohibited unless prior permission has been specifically obtained in writing from Michelle Read.

The findings presented in this report are based on the sources indicated and on the best possible estimates. As the study involves market forecasts which can be influenced by a number of unforeseen variables and as Michelle Read cannot in any way influence Council decisions, future events or management decisions affecting the operation of the facilities, programs and services which are recommended, no warranty can be given that the forecasts contained in the report will be achieved.

Contents Page No. 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 The Precinct 4 2.1 Existing Use and Future Needs 4 3.0 Strategic Context 9 3.1 Brighton Arts and Cultural Centre 9 3.2 Heritage Controls 10 3.3 Arts, Cultural and Economic Development Planning 10 4.0 Consultation Program and Findings 12 4.1 Key Findings 13 4.1.1 Limited Physical Connection between the Arts and Cultural Centre, Library, Council Chambers and Courthouse 13 4.1.2 Signage and Way Finding Infrastructure 14 4.1.3 Heritage Controls 14 4.1.4 A Co-ordinated Approach to Managing the Precinct 14 4.1.5 Space Constraints 15 4.1.6 Former Court House 16 4.1.7 Programming Opportunities 16 4.1.8 Commercial Activation of the Precinct 17 4.1.9 Arts and Cultural Precinct or Community Precinct 17 4.1.10 Role and Focus of the Gallery 18 4.1.11 Supporting Volunteer Organisations 18 6.0 Assessing Commercial Opportunities 19 5.1 Creative Business Incubator 20 5.2 Co-Working Facility 22 5.3 Indoor and Outdoor Market 24 6.0 Recommended Approach 26 6.1 Physical Connections, Signage, Way Finding and Activating the Gardens 26 6.2 Managing the Precinct 26 6.3 Activation through Programming 27 6.4 Maximising Use of the Spaces 27 6.5 Commercial Opportunities 28 6.6 Role of the Precinct 28 6.7 Support for Community Organisations 29 6.8 Recommendations 30 Attachment A: Detailed Review of Past Planning 36 Attachment B: Detailed Consultation Findings (separate attachment) 44 Attachment C: Pre- Feasibility Study of Commercial Uses (separate attachment) 45

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The Brighton Cultural Precinct Plan has been developed to assist Council to identify strategies for improving the utilisation and activation of the Cultural Precinct. The key objectives of the project are to:  Document the current utilisation of the buildings in the Precinct and identify current and future needs over a five year time horizon.  Develop recommendations on how to best meet the needs of current occupants of the Brighton Arts and Culture Centre and the Courthouse.  Develop recommendations, including consideration of any commercial opportunities that may exist, for the surrounding precinct to ‘link’ the Library Service and Council Chambers to the Arts Centre and Courthouse in order to improve the vibrancy and activation of the area.

The project has involved:  Visiting the site to develop an initial understanding of the Brighton Cultural Precinct including a preliminary assessment of the strengths and constraints of the Precinct.  Reviewing previous planning undertaken by Council in relation to the Brighton Cultural Precinct, library, arts and cultural planning and economic development, to understand the implications for activating the Precinct from previous planning work completed by Council.  One on one consultation discussions with Council staff to understand the role or interest different Council service areas have in relation to the Precinct, the current and future needs, issues, plans and directions of each service area, the current utilisation levels for different parts of the Precinct, and to explore the continued relevance and significance of findings from previous planning work.  One on one consultation discussions with the four external organisations based in the Precinct, to understand the current and future needs, issues, plans and directions of each organisation, and the current utilisation levels for different parts of the Precinct.  A workshop with Council staff to present the key findings from the consultation discussions and identify strategies for activating the Precinct.  A high level assessment of commercial opportunities that may help to activate the Precinct.  Development of this Report that was circulated to all stakeholders for comment. Workshops were held with Council staff and external stakeholders to discuss the recommendations and seek feedback about the proposed approach.

2.0 The Precinct

Situated on Council owned land between Wilson, Carpenter and Boxshall Streets in Brighton, the Brighton Cultural Precinct has a formal garden and a number of key community buildings including:  Brighton Arts and Cultural Centre (formerly the Brighton Town Hall) which is home to Brighton Historical Society, Brighton Art Society, Brighton Theatre Company and the Bayside Council Gallery.  The former Brighton Courthouse, which supports a number of activities and services including counselling services for young people, monthly immunisation sessions, and Brighton Benevolent Society.  Brighton Library and City of Bayside Council Chambers located in the former Brighton Council Municipal Offices.

The main hall in the Arts and Cultural Centre provides a venue for hire which is used for a range of community and commercial activities including a monthly dance, weddings, youth events, religious functions, school functions, community fundraising events and corporate events. Formal activity in the gardens is focused upon weddings with occasional events or activities conducted by Council’s Youth Services team.

The Precinct is considered to be of heritage significance with the entire Precinct subject to a heritage overlay under the Bayside Planning Scheme. In addition heritage overlays apply to the:  Former Municipal Offices (this is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register)  Brighton Arts and Cultural Centre (Brighton Town Hall), and the  Former Brighton Courthouse.

2.1 Existing Use and Future Needs Outlined below is a summary of how the Precinct is currently used and the future needs of particular service areas and organisations.

Building Organisation / Space Used Current Use Pattern Future Need Service Area BRIGHTON Brighton Historical Under a lease agreement with Council BHS The Historical Society opens to the public every The Historical Society have indicated they need ARTS AND Society (BHS) has sole use of the north eastern end of the Thursday between 12 and 5pm and by additional space to house the collection, however CULTURAL building on the first floor (facing Wilson appointment for school groups. Outside these more detailed probing suggested there may be CENTRE Street). The space is fully utilised to times only limited use occurs largely due to a capacity to consolidate the collection to create the accommodate the collection and provide shortage of volunteers. required display and storage space. A further need work areas for volunteers. BHS also has identified was an area to hold talks for schools. shared access to kitchen and toilet facilities Currently BHS uses part of the Arts Society’s space on the first floor. for this activity. Brighton Art Under a lease agreement with Council BAS The Arts Society conducts classes 6 days a week The Arts Society has not identified any additional Society (BAS) has sole use of the south eastern end of the during school terms, often with sessions in the space requirements for now or the future. building on the first floor (Carpenter Street morning, afternoon and evening. In addition they Discussions with the group suggest that the small side of the building). The main room is used conduct programs during school holidays and display space is an important asset for the display for classes and a small room off this is used special events regularly on weekends. of members works, however is does appear to be for storage. There are two other small largely underutilised. rooms, one is used as an office and the second as a display space. BAS also has shared access to kitchen and toilet facilities on the first floor. Brighton Theatre Under a lease agreement with Council BTC The Theatre Company uses its spaces for most of The primary area of need for the Theatre Company Company (BTC) has sole use of the south eastern end of the the year with the exception of a 3 – 4 week close is a larger foyer / reception area. The current space building on the ground floor (Carpenter down over Christmas. Each year the Company cannot easily accommodate 93 theatre goers and Street side of the building) plus the garages performs four shows running for three weeks the BTC showed little enthusiasm for shared use of at the back of the building. The spaces each. Rehearsals and set construction start about a reception area (eg: part of the main hall in the include a 93 seat theatre, an office, a 5 - 6 weeks prior to each show and at the Town Hall building) because of the requirement to reception / foyer, a green room / change conclusion there is a 1 – 2 week bump out set up and pack up the space on a daily basis. room and some storage areas. period. In all, each production has a 10 – 12 week Other areas of need are additional storage space timetable. and quiet use of their existing space. Noise travels throughout the building and is particularly problematic when there are large / noisy events in the main hall.

Building Organisation / Space Used Current Use Pattern Future Need Service Area BRIGHTON The Gallery The Gallery has sole occupancy of spaces on The Gallery is open to the public 5 days a week The Gallery has two key areas of need. One is ARTS AND the ground floor in the north eastern 11am – 5pm Wednesday to Friday and 1pm – for additional work space / exhibition change CULTURAL (Wilson Street) and north western 5pm weekends. The gallery spaces are in over space including appropriate office space. CENTRE (Carpenter Street) parts of the building. constant use whether they are exhibiting works, The second is for an appropriate area to store continued…. This includes 2 galleries and a work /office / installing a new exhibition or bumping out a just Council’s art collection. Currently the collection storage area at the rear of gallery 1. The completed exhibition. is housed in a location with no temperature or Gallery is also responsible for Council’s art humidity control which results in extreme collection which is housed in the former fluctuations in temperature. In addition there caretaker’s cottage located in the north are substantial OH & S concerns for staff western corner of the building. accessing and working in the space. Recreation and Recreation and Events are responsible for In the past twelve months (June 2013 – May Youth, Recreation and Events have not Events managing bookings and use of the main hall 2014) the main hall has been booked for a total identified any particular area of need for the in the former Brighton Town Hall. This is of 862 hours. 410 hours for Council purposes and future other than highlighting how well located on the ground floor of the building 452 hours for other community or commercial regarded the main hall and gardens are for and includes the stage, commercial kitchen, activities. On average it is booked 72 hours per wedding ceremonies and the financial returns entry foyer and seating gallery. month with the highest use occurring in May Council receives from these and other (125 hours), September (114 hours) and October bookings. Combined the main hall and gardens (106 hours). The hall is available for hire 8am – generate approximately $50,000 per annum. 1am each day. This equates to 517 hours per month. Existing hall hire levels are clearly well below this level. Youth Services At times Youth Services make use of spaces This happens several times a year but without Youth Services have not identified any in the Town Hall for one off events including any specific regularity. additional needs in relation to their use of the the main hall, the Theatre and Historical Town Hall spaces. Rather it is important to Society’s space. retain access to these facilities to support youth related programs and activities.

Building Organisation / Space Used Current Use Pattern Future Need Service Area COURT Brighton BBS has a licence agreement with Council BBS operates for 2 hours Monday and Friday Discussions with BBS highlighted that the Court HOUSE Benevolent which expires in October 2014 for use of the mornings. Until recently it also operated House building may not be an ideal location for Society (BBS) eastern side of the Court House building. This Wednesday mornings but has ceased this their service because it is isolated, and is not includes sole use of a small office and storage service due to a lack of volunteers. collocated with other services or agencies that room plus shared use of a meeting room and may be able to support their clients. toilet facilities. Youth, Recreation Youth Services is the primary service area of Youth Services uses one of the small meeting Discussions with Youth Services highlighted and Events Council responsible for managing bookings rooms for Counselling services several times a that the building is very underutilised and there and use of the former Court House building, week plus the whole building for one off youth is an opportunity to make the space available in particular the main hall, kitchen, 2 small events and activities. It also books / hires the for other groups or activities. If this was to meeting rooms, toilet facilities and storage Court House to external organisations (mostly occur, Youth Services would require access to area. disability agencies) and other Council service an alternate space for counselling services. area eg: Family services. Family Services Family Services uses the main hall one of the Immunisation session are conducted monthly While Family Services would need to do some small meeting rooms for immunisation for 50 – 100 families plus additional 4 yr old research, it is likely that an alternate location sessions. immunisation sessions are conducted 1 – 2 could be found to conduct immunisation times per year. Family services also uses the sessions and staff meetings, thus freeing up the space for occasional staff meetings. former Court house for alternate activities. LIBRARY Library Services Brighton Library is located on the ground The library is open 7 days a week. Monday to The primary areas of need for the Brighton floor of the former Municipal Offices. Thursday 10am – 8pm, Friday 10am – 6pm, Library are additional study space and more Saturday 10am – 4pm and Sunday 1pm – 5pm. space for library administrative staff. On average the library receives 800- 900 visits per day. This is the highest visitation rate for all of Council’s libraries.

Building Organisation / Space Used Current Use Pattern Future Need Service Area COUNCIL Governance The Council Chambers and associated Council meetings are held in the Council While no additional needs have been identified CHAMBERS Services meeting rooms. Chamber once a month. The associated in relation to this space, it is acknowledged as meeting rooms are used to support Council being highly underutilised. The formal meetings and are used infrequently for structure, small rooms and dark panelling mean meetings by other service areas of Council. that it is not a space which could easily be used for an alternate purpose. Plus it has a key role as a civic asset supporting the function and role of Council / Councillors. GARDENS Youth, Recreation Recreation and Events are responsible for The gardens are predominantly booked for Youth, Recreation and Events have not and Events managing bookings and use of the gardens. wedding ceremonies and photography and an identified any particular area of need for the occasional event by Council’s Youth Services future other than highlighting how well Youth Services occasionally use the gardens team. In the past twelve months (June 2013 – regarded the gardens are for wedding for events and activities. May 2014) the gardens were booked for a total ceremonies and the financial returns Council of 31 hours. September to November and receives from these bookings. March / April are the peak times for bookings As noted previously, combined the main hall but even during these times, there was a and gardens generate approximately $50,000 maximum of 3 bookings in any one month. per annum. Other than these bookings, the gardens are

used informally by individuals in the Precinct. The general perception is that they are underutilised.

3.0 Strategic Context

As part of planning for the possible activation and development of community infrastructure, it is important to understand the existing strategic and policy context for Council and local communities. This section examines several strategic plans and documents prepared by Bayside City Council in relation to libraries, arts, culture and economic development in Bayside, and more specifically the Brighton Cultural Precinct. Previous planning work examined includes:  Bayside City Council Arts Strategy 1998 - 2001  Bayside City Council Cultural Action Plan 2004 - 2007  Final Report – Arts and Cultural Centre / Arts Incubator 2005  Bayside Arts and Cultural Centre Stage 1 – Feasibility and Concept Design Report 2007  City of Bayside Heritage Review: Brighton Town Hall Precinct August 2009  Bayside Library, Arts and Cultural Strategy 2012 – 2017  Draft Economic Development Strategy 2014.

3.1 Brighton Arts and Cultural Centre The review of Council strategies and plans found that clearly Council has undertaken significant planning work in relation to the Brighton Cultural Precinct, most particularly the Brighton Town Hall. This has been focused solely upon an infrastructure solution ie: the redevelopment of the Brighton Town Hall to create the Bayside Arts and Cultural Centre. Proposed solutions ranged from:  The development of a large flagship cultural facility that would become the anchor of a vibrant cultural, entertainment and civic precinct, offering a wide selection of complementary activities including dining, bars, public art, gardens, music and children’s play, to  A low intervention option focused upon providing permanent and temporary exhibition spaces, reception / workstation space to monitor the gallery, storage for the Bayside City Council art collection and a loading bay for the safe and secure entry of art works into the building. It is the low intervention option which was selected and implemented by Council with the Gallery @ Brighton Arts and Cultural Centre opening in 2011.

Interestingly, a number of the ideas proposed in the Final Report – Arts and Cultural Centre / Arts Incubator 2005 and the Bayside Arts and Cultural Centre Stage 1 – Feasibility and Concept Design Report 2007, have also been identified by stakeholders through the consultation process for Brighton Cultural Precinct Plan including:  Relocating the theatre and ancillary services to the Town Hall auditorium or off-site.

 Upgrading the Town Hall auditorium to include retractable raked seating and bar beneath seating gallery to accommodate Brighton Theatre Company and general events and functions.  Upgrading the kitchen.  Upgrading the reception, foyer and toilet facilities.  Providing a direct loading dock to access the collection storage area.

3.2 Heritage Controls The heritage controls which apply to the Precinct have some important implications for increasing the utilisation and activation of the Brighton Cultural Precinct. Heritage overlays apply to the:  Brighton Town Hall Precinct (HO764). Aspects considered to be of aesthetic, architectural, historical and social significance in the Precinct include the buildings listed below, remnants of the formal garden - rose garden, grand staircase and rectangular pond, the Bronze replica of C D Richardson’s The Cloud (1987), Slavo Tumbas’ Genesis Sculptures (1999), the memorial plaques in the paved forecourt to the former Municipal Offices, and the mature trees in the Town Hall Garden, notably the cypress trees and the prominent cork oak,  Former Municipal Offices which are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register (H1292)  Brighton Town Hall (HO397), and  Former Brighton Court House (HO447).

Any external works to the Precinct will require a planning permit including the installation of street furniture, bicycle pathways and trails, construction or display of a sign, anything which changes the appearance of the heritage place, and removal, destroying or lopping a tree.

While discussed in more detail in Section 4 below, two key issues raised through the consultation process for the Brighton Cultural Precinct Plan have been:  That the formal structure of the gardens and pathways are key inhibitors to people moving around the Precinct, and using the gardens for informal activities.  That signage and way finding infrastructure is close to non-existent in the Precinct and is another key inhibitor for people moving between the buildings.

The heritage controls for the Precinct place limitations upon how Council can respond to these issues and appear to have been the primary reason why signage and way finding infrastructure needs have not been addressed in the past. The heritage controls do not mean these issues cannot be addressed, rather a greater amount of time, resourcing and community consultation may be required to achieve an outcome that respects the heritage nature of the Precinct and addresses current day needs for how the Precinct functions.

3.3 Arts, Cultural and Economic Development Planning

Council has developed a number of cultural plans over the past decade each building upon the work and outcomes from previous planning. The 2004 – 2007 Cultural Action Plan identified several issues and opportunities for the Brighton Arts and Cultural Centre / Brighton Cultural Precinct which remain current, most particularly a lack of signage resulting in limited public awareness. This Plan clearly identified the opportunity to establish the former Town Hall and the wider Precinct as a centre for Arts and Cultural activity including the development of a gallery. While this has happened to some extent, feedback from external stakeholders involved in the Brighton Cultural Precinct Plan suggests there is a recognition much more could and needs to be done to cement the role of the Precinct as a centre for arts and cultural activity.

Interestingly the 2004 – 2007 Cultural Action Plan proposed developing an Arts Business Incubator. While a 2005 report recommended not proceeding with this, the idea has been raised through the Brighton Cultural Precinct Planning process, particularly in relation to supporting emerging industries in the Bayside community. The development of the arts and cultural industry, particularly creative businesses in Bayside has been identified in the recently developed Economic Development Strategy, and is seen as a key opportunity for the local economy. This theme is reinforced in the most recent cultural plan (Bayside Library, Arts and Cultural Strategy 2012 – 2017) which identifies as a key strategy “working with Council’s Economic Development Unit to grow relationships with creative businesses and promote Bayside as a hub for creativity and innovation.”

Other important issues, opportunities and priority areas identified in the Bayside Library, Arts and Cultural Strategy 2012 – 2017 that may have implications for the Brighton Cultural Precinct include:  A lack of meeting spaces for community groups and arts and cultural activity. This has consistently been raised in previous planning work and continues to be an issue in the Bayside community. The underutilisation of the Courthouse in the Brighton Cultural Precinct may provide an opportunity to help address this shortfall.  Establishment of a café with or near the Brighton library would likely be welcomed by library patrons. The opportunity, possible benefit and/or viability of a café facility has been raised extensively by stakeholders involved in the Brighton Cultural Precinct Plan, and is discussed in more detail in section 4 below.  Shifting the balance from audience events to participative, community-initiated arts and cultural programs that deliver measurable community benefit. This is a theme which has been evident in previous planning eg: Bayside Cultural Action Plan 2004 - 2007 “To achieve delivery of cultural programs, events and activities within the desired mix of 30% Council driven delivery and 70% community driven delivery.”

More detailed information about each of the planning documents which have been reviewed can be found in Attachment A.

4.0 Consultation Program and Findings

To develop a good understanding of the issues and opportunities in relation to the Brighton Cultural Precinct, a series of one on one discussions have been held with the four external organisations located in the Precinct, and Council officers from a range of service areas. The nature of the use, interest or role each service area has in the Precinct, varies significantly. For example, Urban Strategy is focused upon the heritage controls applicable to the Precinct and economic development opportunities. The primary role of Council’s leasing area is managing the lease or licence agreements between Council and external organisations such as the Brighton Art Society. Arts and Cultural Services has a dual role managing the gallery space in the Town Hall and managing the service relationships with the external organisations based in the Town Hall eg: Brighton Historical Society.

The discussions have explored:  The current and future needs, issues, plans and directions of each organisation and service area  The current utilisation levels for different parts of the Precinct  The continued relevance and significance of findings from previous planning work and consultation  Ideas and opportunities for increasing the use and activation of the Precinct.

Discussions were held with the following organisations and Council departments:  Brighton Historical Society  Brighton Art Society  Brighton Benevolent Society  Brighton Theatre Company  Arts & Culture Advisory Committee  Family & Cultural Services Department  Recreation, Events & Social Development Department  City Works Department  Urban Strategy Department  Environmental Sustainability and Open Space Department  Commercial Services Department

A workshop was also held with Council staff to explore the findings from the consultation, discuss priority areas and identify strategies for activating the Precinct.

4.1 Key Findings

This section provides a summary of the key messages and findings from consulting with Council staff and the community organisations located in the Precinct. Detailed notes from the consultation interviews can be found in Attachment 2.

It is important to be aware that while the Brighton Cultural Precinct Plan is largely to be focused upon programming opportunities and identifying how stakeholders can work together more effectively to activate the Precinct, infrastructure challenges, opportunities and ideas have been consistently raised by stakeholders and consequently they form a key part of the findings outlined below.

4.1.1 Limited Physical Connection between the Arts and Cultural Centre, Library, Council Chambers and Courthouse. The lack of physical connection between the Arts and Cultural Centre, Library, Council Chambers and Courthouse is viewed as a significant issue, as is the lack of activation in the outdoor space. The formal structure of the gardens and pathways are seen as key inhibitors to people moving around the Precinct, and using the gardens for informal activities eg: reading, picnics etc. While it was acknowledged that informal use does occur, this is viewed as being limited.

Options identified to help address these issues focused upon activation of the garden space and included development of a sculpture playground that allows children to explore the environment, public sculpture for people to sit on, climb on / interact with, an historic trail, an outdoor room / amphitheatre for children’s story time and performances. Also identified was the benefit which may come from actively programming the gardens with activities such as children’s story time, art classes, and community markets. Showing the community how the gardens can be used may go some way to removing the perceptions about the garden being nice to look at but not to touch.

Another aspect explored in relation to activation of the gardens, was that it should focus upon passive and exploratory experiences rather than active play. The Brighton Cultural Precinct has a civic role and any development of the spaces should reflect this. In addition it is important to be mindful of the knock on effect caused by providing additional infrastructure / intensifying use of the Precinct. If an exploratory play environment is created will this create a need for picnic tables, a bubbler, public toilets etc?

One other idea explored in relation to activating the Precinct was whether removal of the car park outside the Library should be considered? A drop off and pick up area could be retained, with the remainder returned to open space. Key questions that would need to be considered are how this would help to activate the Precinct and what impact would it have upon accessibility for the Library given there is already an acknowledged shortage of car parking during peak periods.

4.1.2 Signage and Way Finding Infrastructure Signage and way finding infrastructure are considered to be close to non-existent in the Precinct. For example, there is no signage that guides or directs visitors from the Library to the Arts and Cultural

Centre. You can happily visit the Library and remain completely unaware the Gallery is located across the other side of the gardens. Another example is the signage outside the Arts and Cultural Centre. This is poorly located close to Wilson Street in the nature strip and is not easily visible for pedestrians of people travelling by car. The entrance to the Gallery is not easily visible and combined with poor signage, the Gallery is difficult to locate within the precinct.

Suggestions proposed for addressing this included a sculpture path or historic walkway which leads people from one building to the next, signage to direct people from the Library to the Gallery or Theatre in the Arts and Cultural Centre. Electronic signage in the Library and in the windows of the Arts and Cultural Centre to inform people about what is happening in the Precinct was also identified as a possibility. Further discussion has identified that electronic signage is already in place in the Library and available to promote activities in the Precinct, however this does not currently occur. Section 4.1.4 explores the lack of a co-ordinated approach to managing the Precinct.

4.1.3 Heritage Controls The heritage overlays applicable to the former Municipal Offices, Brighton Town Hall, Former Brighton Court House and the Precinct as a whole, are viewed by stakeholders as inhibitors to activating the Precinct and appear to have stopped action being taken to address relatively simple issues such as signage. While the controls mean that development would be difficult in particular parts of the gardens including the rose garden, formal staircase, rectangular pond and established trees, it was acknowledged that activation of the gardens through programs and events may be one way to work with the heritage controls.

4.1.4 A Co-ordinated Approach to Managing the Precinct There is no co-ordinated approach to managing the Precinct and the impact of this is most acutely felt in the Arts and Cultural Centre where conflicts frequently occur between different activities and programs. The Gallery, Theatre Company, Arts Society and Historical Society all operate independently of each other. In addition, the main hall is booked and managed by Council’s Events and Recreation Services area. It is not uncommon for the noise from a booking in the main hall to impact upon a performance by the Theatre Company or a function in the Gallery. Events and Recreation have a financial imperative they are required to meet through generating fees from hire of the hall, which means that they are not able to make the hall available solely to the Theatre Company during a performance season (3 weeks). In the 2013/14 financial year, revenue from the hire of the Brighton Town Hall was $45,114. It is estimated that this figure would reduce to approximately $34,700 if the hall were made available only to the Theatre Company during 12 weeks of performances per year. It is also unreasonable to expect the hall will be available solely to the Theatre Company when there is an identified need in Bayside for more community meeting and activity spaces.

More widely for the Precinct there is no co-ordinated approach to marketing and promotion, limited active pursuit of joint projects and initiatives and no programming in the gardens. It was identified

that a co-ordinated and managed approach to the Precinct would help to maximise opportunities and minimise conflicts. What remains unclear is how this approach might best be enacted.

4.1.5 Space Constraints The most significant space constraints in the Precinct are experienced by the Gallery and the Theatre Company. The Gallery has minimal office space, exhibition storage / changeover space and the main entry to the Gallery is also the loading bay for the delivery of exhibition items. The Gallery is also responsible for Council’s art collection which is located up a narrow set of stairs raising Occupational Health and Safety issues, and is housed in room with no temperature or humidity control resulting in significant fluctuations in temperature. Over 12 months temperatures range from 11 to 31 degrees Celsius and humidity from 40 percent to 72 percent. While gradual changes in temperature have a less detrimental impact upon the collection, it is sudden spikes in humidity or temperature over 24 hours which are of concern. This occurs an estimated 5 times a year. Council has undertaken scoping works to investigate the cost of upgrading the existing heating / cooling infrastructure to a museum standard climate control system. The cost of these works has been estimated at $298,000. This cost estimate is preliminary, and is subject to the preparation of detailed designs.

The Theatre Company has a small foyer / reception area which is too small to accommodate theatre crowds. If the main hall in the Arts and Cultural Centre is not booked, the Theatre Company is able to use this space for their intermission. Recently works were undertaken in the main hall to help make this space more usable for both the Theatre and Gallery, however the Theatre have indicated they are unlikely to use it because of the requirement to set up and pack of the space on a daily basis. The Theatre Company has a preference for sole occupancy of its space.

The Historical Society has also indicated they require additional space to house their collection, however more detailed probing identified there may be capacity to consolidate the collection to create the required display and storage space. A further need identified was an area to hold talks for schools. Currently BHS uses part of the Arts Society’s space for this activity.

The primary areas of need for the Brighton Library are additional study space and more space for library administrative staff.

Options identified for addressing these space constraints included:  Relocating the Theatre to the former Courthouse. Alternatively the Theatre Company could use the main hall in the Arts and Cultural Centre, as they have done in the past. The existing theatre space could then be used to provide a work area / exhibition storage and changeover space for the Gallery, plus storage for Council’s art collection.  Providing support to the Historical Society to consolidate the collection through digitisation, sale of the costume collection etc.  Relocating the library administrative staff from the Brighton Library to the old caretaker’s cottage in the south western corner of the Arts and Cultural Centre.

4.1.6 Former Court House It has been clearly identified and acknowledged that the Former Courthouse is very underutilised and presents an exciting opportunity to address space constraints and / or add to the arts and cultural offerings in the Precinct. Multiple suggestions about how it might be better / best utilised were identified including:  Establishing a recording studio, rehearsal space, performance space.  Relocating Brighton Theatre Society to the building.  Relocating Brighton Historical Society to the building.  Relocating Brighton Art Society to the building.  Establishing a café.  Establishing a business incubator for creative businesses.  Conducting an artist in residence program, although it is acknowledged Council already offers an extensive artists in residence program at Billilla Historic Manor.  Conduct an expression of interest process for community arts organisations to gauge interest in use of the space.  Council actively programming the space.

Importantly careful consideration must be given to identifying the short, medium and long term options for the former Courthouse through the recommendations for the Brighton Cultural Precinct Plan. Also identified was the role the Courthouse can or should play in widening the demographic profile of visitors to the Precinct. The consultation process highlighted that the Precinct caters predominantly for older adults and families.

4.1.7 Programming Opportunities Programming opportunities present an important way to activate the Precinct with minimal if any investment in infrastructure. As noted previously, it also has the capacity to overcome some of the constraints presented by the heritage controls over the Precinct and encourage the community to feel more comfortable about spending time in and using the gardens. Importantly it also has the capacity to encourage pedestrian movement between the various buildings. A range of programming opportunities have been identified through the consultation process including:  Historic walks in the Precinct  Children’s story time in the gardens  Arts Society classes / activities in the gardens  Children’s theatre in the gardens  Sunday afternoon music performances in the gardens  A monthly farmers market or craft market in the gardens during good weather and in the main hall during poor weather

 Pop up activities eg: sculpture exhibitions, café / coffee cart. Pop up activities are potentially a way to activate the outdoor space without a permanent infrastructure response. However, there may be a need to be mindful of possible conflicts with wedding photos / events in the gardens.

Key to pursuing these opportunities is the coordinated resourcing and approach to managing the Precinct discussed in section 4.1.4 above.

4.1.8 Commercial Activation of the Precinct The need for commercial activation of the Precinct was raised extensively, particularly the need for / value of developing a café facility. However, the views of stakeholders were varied with some adamant a café is needed to activate the Precinct, and others suggesting it should not be used as a primary tool for activation, rather it should be viewed as something which adds to the visitor experience and encourages people to linger in the Precinct. Possible locations identified for a café include the:  Former Courthouse because it is underutilised and offers good access to the gardens  The caretaker’s cottage because it offers good access to the gardens  Gallery 1 because of its proximity to the existing commercial kitchen and its location in the north western corner of the Arts and Cultural Centre. This location was identified as being most advantageous for encouraging people to move from the Library across the gardens to the Arts and Cultural Centre. One other commercial option identified was the development of an arts incubator to support creative businesses, particularly start-up businesses either in the Town Hall or in the Courthouse.

4.1.9 Arts and Cultural Precinct or Community Precinct Currently the Precinct is identified as a cultural precinct, however there was some discussion about whether this is an accurate description and whether this is too restrictive. In the workshop session with Council staff it was suggested that the community does not view the Precinct as a Precinct and does not view the former Brighton Town Hall as an Arts and Cultural Centre. Essentially the description as a cultural precinct is an aspiration, one which dates back over 15 years now.

4.1.10 Role and Focus of the Gallery A diversity of views were identified about the role, focus and effectiveness of the Galley. It was acknowledged that decisions made about the size, functionality and location of the entry when the Gallery was established, have impacted significantly upon its visibility, patronage levels and the exhibitions that it can attract. There appears to be some continuing diversity of expectations about the role of the Gallery ie: as a place which displays high end art or one which supports local artists. Community stakeholders particularly indicated they believe the gallery does not have enough of a community focus and the requirements artists must meet / adhere to in order to exhibit in the space are onerous.

4.1.11 Supporting Volunteer Organisations Discussions with the community organisations located in the Precinct highlighted there is an opportunity for Council to support these organisations to become more sustainable and increase their contribution to the activation of the Precinct. In particular the three cultural organisations (Arts Society, Historical Society, and Theatre Company) contribute substantially to the arts and cultural offerings in the Precinct, however their capacity to offer more is somewhat limited by their reliance upon volunteers. Areas they would like assistance with are publicity and promotion, volunteer training / recruitment, digitising and consolidating collections and developing commercial opportunities eg publications, local history walks.

Discussions with the Brighton Benevolent Society highlighted a number of issues including that often a lone volunteer delivers the service from the former Courthouse (with no other activities occurring in the Courthouse), the organisation is experiencing funding shortages and a declining number of volunteers. They are also conscious about not having a co-ordinated approach with related service agencies and recognise there may be value in being collocated with other related organisations.

5.0 Assessing Commercial Opportunities

The assessment of commercial activation opportunities for the Brighton Cultural Precinct has been completed by Matters More Consulting, specialists in land use economics. It is best described as a Pre-Feasibility Study designed to identify potential commercial uses that could occur in the Brighton Cultural Precinct, and determine which uses should be further investigated through a more detailed feasibility process.

The pre-feasibility has involved:  Identifying an extended list of possible commercial uses for the precinct through a desktop review of uses in similar precincts, and consultation with Council staff and relevant businesses or facilities  Developing an assessment criteria and testing each of the possible uses against this criteria  Undertaking a high level assessment of the commercial uses which achieved the highest scores through the initial criteria assessment process.

The extended list of possible commercial uses identified through the desk top review included:  Expanded theatre activity, gallery (and sale of associated gifts and articles) and performances;  Indoor and outdoor market (as at Northcote Town Hall)  Café (as at Hawthorn Arts Centre)  Office hire (as at South Melbourne Town Hall)  Meeting room hire (various)  Shared office space hire for micro business and not for profit  Increased use by community groups (as at Northcote Town Hall)  Cultural Complex with leaseable floor space, work space for creative and exhibition/studio/gallery space  Writers shop (standalone – not as part of wider suite of activities)  Creative businesses incubator, and  Co-working facility

These were assessed against a criteria agreed to in consultation with Council staff. The criteria were developed after careful consideration of previous strategic planning work completed by Council including the Bayisde Arts and Cultural Strategy, Bayside Planning Scheme and Bayside Economic Development Strategy. The extended list of possible criteria were assessed against the following criteria:  Does the activity further partnerships and collaboration?  Does the activity encourage people to stay for longer?

 Does the activity meet current, identified community need?  Does the activity contribute to developing the Brighton Cultural Precinct as an arts and culture precinct?  Does the activity contribute to widening the circle of users of the precinct?  Does the activity affect the heritage aspect of the site?  Does the activity support the City’s business community as an important local employer, investor and contractor of services?  Does the activity facilitate local business initiatives and collaboration?  Does the activity foster business creativity and innovation?

The commercial uses which received the highest scores when assessed against these criteria were: 1. A creative business incubator 2. A co-working facility with cost recovery rent 3. Indoor and outdoor market. These were recommended for a high level assessment.

Outlined below is a summary of the high level assessment for each of the three uses. A copy of the full Pre-Feasibility Study can be found in Attachment C.

5.1 Creative Business Incubator

Objectives: • To provide a tool for establishing and building the creative sector in Brighton and Bayside.

• To facilitate local business initiatives and collaboration, foster business creativity and innovation.

• To reflect the cultural aspirations for the precinct and widen its circle of users. • To be a financially viable activity.

Concept: • Targeted primarily at small start-up companies in the creative sector, the Creative Business Incubator would assist and support businesses to establish an office in a recognised location with a professional address from which to further grow their business. It would also be a channel for Council to deliver relevant business development programs to these start-up businesses, and for other businesses to offer and provide relevant formal training for the start-up businesses or their staff. This could include a formal mentoring arrangement and business health checks by Council’s economic development staff.

• Each business would have their own small office space, for which they pay a ‘licence fee’. This is similar to rent, but is offered on a month-to-month basis,

and does not have the same legal implications as a lease agreement. The licence fees would be based on commercial rates charged in the wider area.

• To accommodate training delivery, the facility requires a ‘training’ room, which could also function as a large meeting room. The incubator would be staffed with a part time economic development officer or other staff from Council, so they are on hand to assist businesses, and there would be 24/7 access through a key-card access system.

Location & • The Brighton Courthouse is the proposed location. Its area is estimated to be Space: 20m x 11m or 220m². Excluding common areas such as toilets and entrances, it is estimated there is 193m² of floor space with 174m² is available for offices (the remainder will be for access corridors. At sizes ranging from 12m² to 21m², the Courthouse could accommodate approximately 9 businesses, as well as a meeting and training room.

Competition: • Competition in the office space market near the Cultural Precinct is mainly in the form of office space offered in Bay Street, and a limited offer in Church Street. There are several premises for lease in Bay Street, particularly in the newly developed buildings. However, most office space on offer is too large and the lease agreement too inflexible for start-up businesses.

Capital • A significant investment to refurbish the Courthouse will be required to Investment: provide a modern and attractive office space. Based on an indicative allowance of $2000/m² the initial setup costs are estimated at $440,000. This allowance would likely cover architectural/interior design advice, painting, reconfiguration of doors and interior walls if required, office furniture, as well as electronic equipment (mainly a projector and screens for training purposes, printers, scanning and photocopying machine).

Operating • The license fee for businesses would be comparable with low end of the Income & private sector offer of $400/m² per annum or approximately $400 to Expenditure $700/month for an office on a month to month basis. Total revenue at capacity is estimated at $65,000 per annum, however vacancies are likely as businesses move in and out, and consequently an occupancy rate of 90% is used for this assessment.

• The revenue would be used to cover ongoing expenses and staffing costs ie: the economic development officer who would be based at the incubator, possibly only on a part time basis. Other ongoing expenses would include cleaning, internet and wifi.

• See table 5.1 below for a summary of projected revenue and expenses. Conclusion: The initial investment to refurbish the Courthouse to be an attractive creative business incubator is significant, but is necessary for the incubator to be a success. With the employment of an economic development officer on a part time basis, the incubator would still be feasible as a commercial undertaking. However, it appears that the investment in facility refurbishment would have a pay-back period of over 20 years and this length of pay-back period is not attractive for commercial

activities.

Item Revenue Expense

Licence fee revenue at 90% capacity (90% of $65,000) $58,500 Office supplies (limited), wifi $5,000 Weekly cleaning contract (1 day week@$20/hour) $8,000 Economic development officer, part time 0.25FT $20,000 - $22,500 Miscellaneous including advertising, webpage $3,000 Total $58,500 $36,000 - $38,500 Table 5.1: Overview of on-going annual revenue and cost items for a creative business incubator

5.2 Co-Working Facility

Objectives: • To facilitate local business initiatives and collaboration • To foster business creativity and innovation. • To reflect the precinct’s cultural aspirations and widen its circle of users. • To be a financially viable activity.

Concept: • Designed to meet demand from freelancers for comfortable working environments with the opportunity to socialise, collaborate and be inspired, the co-working facility would be a formal arrangement with the main purpose of providing shared office space catering to Bayside residents. It would target creatives as well as a more established clientele.

• It would have a number of work spaces (standard and quiet zones) as well as a meeting and a telephone area for conversation and socialising. It would offer lockers for overnight document storage, printing and copying facilities connected to access card, and wifi. It would also provide a shared kitchen facility.

• Initially, the facility would be not be staffed, although it would be preferable if an office manager is on hand to assist co-workers.

• Access to the facility would be limited to extended office hours – from 7am to 7pm through a key-card. Location & The Brighton Courthouse is the proposed location. Its area is estimated to be 20m x Space: 11m or 220m². Based on a desktop review of the plan, the Courthouse appears to be able to accommodate the following:

• two small lockable offices in the spaces currently marked ‘Stores’ and ‘Office’;

• shared meeting room in the cross-hatched space towards Carpenter Street;

• large open plan work area with desks in the space marked ‘HALL’;

• quiet work area with desks in the space marked ‘Counselling room’; and • lounge area and lockers for hire are envisaged in the walk area in the ‘HALL’ near the kitchen.

Competition: • Competition in the office space market near the Cultural Precinct is mainly in the form of office space offered in Bay Street, and a limited offer in Church Street. There are several premises for lease in Bay Street, particularly in the newly developed buildings, these could potentially accommodate a co-working facility if it was deemed the Courthouse was unsuitable. There is very limited supply of co-working offices in Brighton (only one identified).

Capital • A significant investment to refurbish the Courthouse will be required to Investment: provide a modern and attractive co-working facility. Based on an indicative allowance of $2000/m² the initial setup costs are estimated at $440,000. This allowance would likely cover architectural/interior design advice, painting, reconfiguration of doors and interior walls if required, office furniture, as well as electronic equipment (mainly a projector and screens for training purposes, printers, scanning and photocopying machine).

Operating • The membership fee for the co-working facility needs to be comparable to the Income & private sector offer. Based upon research outlined in the Pre-Feasibility Study Expenditure (see Attachment C), a suitable price point would be around $100/week or $400/month for open plan desks, and $150/week for a lockable office. It is assumed that the facility would have an average of 65 members on a yearly.

• Ongoing expenses would include cleaning, office supplies, and wifi. The employment of an office manager would improve the functioning of the facility, and would be able to take on the management of access cards from the library. See table 5.2 below for a summary of projected revenue and expenses. Conclusion: The initial investment to refurbish the Courthouse to be an attractive co-working space is significant, but is necessary for it to be a success. With the employment of an office manager that can manage the facility on a daily basis and accept bookings or arrange access, the facility would still be a feasible commercial undertaking. It appears that the investment in facility refurbishment would have a pay-back period of approximately two years under the assumptions outlined above. • It is recommended that this activity is selected for a detailed concept development and feasibility analysis.

Item Revenue Expense

Membership revenue at 50% capacity (65 members) $312,000 Office hire (assume 11 months’ rent) $14,400 Office supplies, wifi $10,000 Weekly cleaning contract (1 day week@$20/hour) $8,000 Miscellaneous including advertising $5,000 Total $326,400 $23,000 Table 5.2: Overview of on-going annual revenue and cost items for a co-working facility

5.3 Indoor and Outdoor Market

Objectives: • To reflect the precinct’s cultural aspirations and widen its circle of users.

• To facilitate further partnerships and collaboration • To be a financially viable activity.

Concept: • A quarterly indoor market with a tight focus on items that appeal to the Brighton community. This is envisaged to be rare books (first editions, illustrated, 50s children’s books and the like), sheet music, musical instruments, personalised stationary, and French culinary delights. It is proposed that the market cooperates with the local schools for sale and exchange of instruments, and possibly to get school choirs and student musicians to provide music at the venue.

• First year it would run on Saturday or Sunday to test the concept further. Coffee cart, snacks, and possibly champagne would be available in the foyer. After 12months, revisit the concept and establish a set pattern.

• The market would require an experienced market organiser.

Location & • The market would be limited to indoors, using the Town Hall auditorium. Space: • The capacity is estimated at 30 stalls (this was the capacity of the Kidz Stuff Pre-loved Childrenswear Market held in the Brighton Town Hall in May 2009).

• Stalls would be approximately 2m x 2m, which fits a trestle table and chair, and limited display. Access to facilities would be by use of the Town Hall toilets with entry from the Town Hall foyer.

Competition: • There is no competition in the immediate area, because Brighton is a difficult place to run a commercial market. Brighton Bazar was held in St Andrews Street in the St Andrews Church Hall. Held monthly on Saturdays, the last market was on the 9th August, from 9am – 3pm. It featured handmade designs, including jewellery, stationery, artwork, accessories and toys. However, this market has been discontinued due to difficulty with achieving success with the

market concept in Brighton in spite of the organisers’ efforts to curate the offer to only high quality goods.

• For stallholders, the Bentleigh market is more attractive, with good visitation and reasonable fees to identify and contact potential stall holders, organise marketing, arrange setup, etc.

• As a result, the market concept has been refined from being an indoor and outdoor market to only being an indoor market with goods that are narrowly focused to appeal to the Brighton community.

Capital • Minimal capital investment is required for the establishment of an indoor Investment: market, however additional trestle tables may need to be purchased.

Operating • Revenue is estimated to originate from a proposed gold coin donation for Income & market hall entry, as well as stallholder fees of $50 in the first year, increasing Expenditure to $75 - $100 subsequently depending on success of market.

• Ongoing expenses would include salary / fees for a market organiser, hall cleaning, marketing (including internet listings, notice in local paper & Bayside Council newsletter, fliers at local schools).

• See table 5.3 below for a summary of projected revenue and expenses. Conclusion: A market would achieve activation of the Brighton Cultural Precinct but would require a significant marketing effort to attract stallholders and visitors to be financially viable. The financial impact of having to employ a market organiser to start up a new market is the cost key factor. The Brighton area is considered too challenging for a private operator to be interested in setting up a market without financial support. If the market could be established and managed by a group associated with music programs (or other programs) at the schools, the market could be financially viable from the outset.

Item Revenue Expense

Indoor stallholder revenue (30 stalls) $1,500 Market visitor revenue Unknown Foregone income for hall hire (full day) $865¹ Market organiser per market $2,500 Hall cleaning $200 Marketing and miscellaneous $450 Total $1,500 + visitor entry $4,015 Note: 1) limited hall hire in winter, only applicable for summer markets Table 1.3 Overview of on-going revenue and cost items for an indoor market

6.0 Recommended Approach

This section explores the key areas and opportunities Council should focus its energies upon to increase the utilisation and activation of the Brighton Cultural Precinct. It draws together the findings from all aspects of the project, providing commentary about the proposed approach and importantly provides recommendations for the short, medium and long term.

6.1 Physical Connections, Signage, Way Finding and Activating the Gardens The formal structure of the gardens and pathways, and the lack of physical connection and way finding infrastructure between the various buildings in the Precinct, is clearly a key issue impacting upon how people move about the Precinct, their knowledge of the different activities and opportunities available and their willingness to linger in the Precinct.

At a minimum in the short term, there is a need to improve directional signage with a focus upon directing visitors from the Library to the Arts and Cultural Centre. The existing electronic signage in the Library needs to be more actively used as a way to promote events and activities occurring in the Precinct. In addition, activation of the gardens through program initiatives will help to encourage greater use of the gardens and movement around the Precinct.

In the medium to longer term, more substantive infrastructure options such as a sculpture trail or an historic trail should be explored with a focus upon encouraging visitors to move around and linger in the Precinct, particularly the gardens. Consideration should also be given to redeveloping the small garden area at the front of the Library, particularly exploring connecting the round room in the Library with the garden.

While the heritage controls which apply to the Precinct may place some constraints around what can be done in relation to pathways and way finding infrastructure, they should not be viewed as a road block that cannot be overcome.

6.2 Managing the Precinct It is clear that implementing a co-ordinated approach to managing the Precinct will be essential to its activation. Currently 7 – 8 different departments and many more service areas within Council have a role or interest in the Precinct, with no one area responsible for managing the site as a whole. In addition, with 4 community organisations located in the Precinct, there is a wide diversity of views, interests and needs which are currently not being managed effectively.

While it is understood there is some concern about proposing additional or changed staffing resources to manage the Precinct, what must be considered also is the opportunity cost / opportunity lost if Council does not take a more co-ordinated approach to managing the Precinct as a whole. If Council genuinely wants to increase the activation and utilisation of the Precinct, then either additional resources or a reallocation of existing resources in the Precinct will be required to achieve this in a co-ordinated and effective way. It is proposed that a role managing the Precinct be

trialled for a period of two years, providing a reasonable period of time assess the impacts of the role and determine whether there is an ongoing need for the role. It also provides time for Council to consider how it might proceed with some of the medium to long term actions proposed, and the ongoing resource implications for management and coordination of the Precinct.

6.3 Activation through Programming In keeping with the original intent of the Brighton Cultural Precinct Plan, programming initiatives are key to activating the Precinct, helping to overcome some of the constraints created by the heritage controls and removing perceived barriers about using the garden area. Programming initiatives requiring little if any additional resources can be achieved simply by relocating existing activities within the Precinct. For example holding children’s story time (Library services) and art classes (Brighton Art Society) in the gardens during warmer weather. More substantial initiatives are proposed as part of an annual calendar of events which will need to be supported by staffing resources as outlined in section 5.2 above.

6.4 Maximising Use of the Spaces As discussed in section 4, the most significant space constraints in the Precinct are experienced by the Gallery and the Theatre Company. The most logical way to address this issue would appear to be relocating the Theatre Company to another site either within or outside the Precinct, as relocating the Historical Society or the Arts Society will not help to address the needs of either the Theatre Company or the Gallery. This however, is a significant change to propose and requires substantial exploration and investigation, particularly given the investment the Theatre Company has made in their current venue. It is therefore recommended that this idea be investigated in the medium to long term, with short term solutions focusing upon timetabling of the Arts and Cultural Centre, supporting the Theatre Company to use the main hall for intermission, and reviewing the income generating requirement for the main hall.

The underutilisation of the Courthouse presents a substantial opportunity to address any number of issues within and outside the Precinct, including the space constraints of the Arts and Cultural Centre, expanding the markets and audiences the Precinct will appeal to, supporting the development of creative industries, addressing a shortfall in community meeting and activity spaces, introducing commercial activity to the Precinct, and increasing the programming and utilisation of the Precinct. The key challenge will be determining the most viable option/s and this will largely need to occur over the medium to long term.

Importantly a co-ordinated approach is needed to explore and implement any substantive changes to the use and development of individual spaces.

6.5 Commercial Opportunities It is recognised that commercial activation of the Brighton Cultural Precinct is an important strategy Council must consider, however achieving this effectively and in a sustainable manner is a challenge. While a number of stakeholders believe that a café holds the key to activating the Precinct, the Pre- Feasibility Study undertaken to explore potential commercial uses for the Precinct did not identify this is a viable option. The three possible options identified and explored through a high level assessment were a creative business incubator, a co-working facility and an indoor and outdoor market.

The assessment found that:  A co-working facility is the only option likely to provide a commercial return to Council and this return has the potential to be substantial.  While not financially viable in its own right, some elements of a creative business incubator could be incorporated into a co-working facility.  While an indoor and outdoor market has the potential to be a key activator for the Precinct, establishing a successful market would be difficult in Brighton and would not provide a commercial return. The Study found that if Council was to pursue this option it would need to be an indoor market, very targeted and very well managed.

6.6 Role of the Precinct It appears that while there has been a decision made to establish the Precinct with a cultural focus, there is nothing that demonstrates this is occurring in a co-ordinated and considered way. While some of the organisations and service areas work together informally, most often they work in isolation, therefore reducing opportunities to achieve shared cultural outcomes. In addition activities such as immunisation sessions, the Brighton Benevolent Society and weddings seem to be at odds with the aspiration to create a cultural precinct. Adding to this is the financial imperative of generating income from hire of the main hall which means that many of the events and activities occurring in the hall do not add to the aspiration of a cultural precinct. The key question is whether this is an issue that needs to be addressed.

It is most likely unreasonable to expect that the Precinct will be used only for cultural purposes or activities, however there is probably a need to place a greater emphasis upon generating and encouraging cultural activity in the Precinct, which may include reviewing Council’s expectations about income generation from the main hall and gardens. Also important is ensuring the Precinct offers a range of programs and activities that appeal to all demographics of the Bayside community.

Another key area which may need to be reviewed is the role of the Gallery. It is understood the programming of the Gallery is positioned to attract high end professional artists and travelling exhibitions, which in turn is designed to attract an audience wider than the local community. The flip side is that there is some suggestion the Gallery is then inaccessible for local artists because of the requirements and restrictions about how works will be exhibited, the costs involved and not having

the works for sale. There may be a need to review how the Gallery strikes a balance between offering quality exhibitions and remaining accessible to the local community.

Ultimately there is a need to review the long term role and functionality of the Precinct, particularly the infrastructure required to achieve the aspiration of a Cultural Precinct.

6.7 Support for Community Organisations Three of the community organisations located in the Precinct, Brighton Theatre Company, Brighton Art Society and Brighton Historical Society, contribute substantially to the cultural activity and offerings in the Precinct. Working with these organisations to identify opportunities for program initiatives and increase their sustainability is a strategy Council could employ to increase the activation and utilisation of the Precinct. Key areas Council could explore providing support in are, assistance with publicity and promotion, volunteer training / recruitment, digitising and consolidating collections and developing commercial opportunities eg: publications, local history walks.

In relation to Brighton Benevolent Society it may be timely for Council to hold discussions with the organisation, to identify how Council can best assist them to support disadvantaged members of the community. Their location in Brighton Cultural Precinct is not ideal, and opportunities should be explored to assist them to relocate to a venue which would see them collocated with like service agencies.

6.8 Recommendations

Issue No. Recommendations Timeframe

1. Physical Connections, 1a. Install directional signage in the Precinct, with a focus upon directing visitors from the Library to the Short Term Signage, Way Finding and Arts and Cultural Centre. This could include banners which highlight key entry points to the Precinct or Activating the Gardens buildings. 1b. Implement a co-ordinated and managed approach to promoting activities and events in the Precinct Short Term through the existing electronic signage in the Library. 1c. Develop an annual calendar of events and activities to be held in the gardens such as children’s story Short Term time, art classes, pop up exhibitions, family picnic days, music, live theatre, movies under the stars, a pop up café, civic learning opportunities for schools in the Council chamber etc. 1d. Explore options to develop a sculpture trail or historic trail in the gardens with a focus upon exploring Medium / the environment and helping visitors to move around and linger in the Precinct. Long Term 1e. Explore options to install electronic signage in the Precinct both indoors and outdoors that provides Medium / information about what is happening or coming up in the Precinct including promoting exhibitions in Long Term the Gallery, theatre performances, opening hours of the Historical Society, events in the Library, activities in the gardens etc. 1f. Explore options to promote the activities occurring in the Precinct through other venues and locations Short Term eg: Bay Street and Church Street Brighton, train stations, Council offices etc. 1g. Explore options for redeveloping the small garden area at the front of the Library to make it more Medium / usable. In particular consideration should be given to shade, seating, softer plantings / surface and Long Term connecting the round room in the Library with the garden. 1jh Open up / clean up the garden area between the Courthouse building and the back of the Arts and Medium / Cultural Centre. Strategies for tidying up the rear of the Arts and Cultural Centre should also be Long Term identified.

Issue No. Recommendations Timeframe

2. Managing the Precinct 2a. Establish a Precinct co-ordination role for a two year trial period to maximise opportunities to activate Short Term the Brighton Cultural Precinct. Consideration will need to be given to how this role is resourced with options including re-focusing existing resources in the Precinct or providing additional resources. Importantly, in deciding whether to proceed with this recommendation, Council must consider the opportunity cost of failing to implement a more co-ordinated approach to managing the Precinct as a whole. It is proposed that the role be responsible for: - Implementing a co-ordinated approach to promoting the activities and offerings of the Precinct. This would not absolve individual organisations /service areas from their own publicity and promotion, rather it would focus on promoting the Precinct as a whole. - Explore options to promote the activities occurring in the Precinct through other venues and locations eg: Bay Street and Church Street Brighton, train stations, Council offices etc. - Developing an annual calendar of events and activities with a focus on programming in the gardens and encouraging the different service areas and organisations to develop joint initiatives. This would not absolve individual organisations or service areas from their own program initiatives, rather it would focus on identifying new initiatives particularly those which encourage an increased level of activation in the Precinct. - Managing the timetabling of activities within the Precinct, particularly in the Arts and Cultural Centre. The key purpose will be to minimise conflicts between different users and activities in the building. This will likely require a review of the programming and booking lead times currently applied by each organisation and service area. - Supporting the Arts Society, Historical Society and Theatre Group to be more sustainable and pursue opportunities for co-operation and sharing of resources and spaces (see recommendation 7a for more information) - Identifying whether there is capacity to generate alternate income sources through arts and cultural activity. - Leading planning projects associated with the Precinct eg: signage and way finding infrastructure. 2b. Consider tying income generated in the Precinct (eg: hall hire income) to the Precinct rather than Short Term returning it to general revenue. This income could be directed to resource the co-ordination of the Precinct.

Issue No. Recommendations

3. Maximising use of the Spaces 3a. Conduct an expression of interest process for community arts organisations to find short term uses / Short Term tenants for the former Courthouse building. This would be for up to 2 years, providing time for Council to investigate alternate options for the use and development of the building. 3b. Explore options for relocating immunisation sessions and youth counselling services from the former Short Term Courthouse building to alternate locations. It may be possible to retain these activities in the Courthouse in the short term, however this would depend upon the outcomes from the expression of interest process proposed in recommendation 3a above. 3c. Work with the Brighton Theatre Company to help facilitate and encourage the organisation to use the Short Term main hall in the Arts and Cultural Centre for intermission breaks. For example identify whether hall bookings can be restricted at particular times of the year and identify how any perceived barriers can be overcome. 3d. Support the Brighton Historical Society to address space shortages through consolidating their Short Term collection to create additional display and storage space. Consideration will also need to be given to the provision of additional space in the medium to long term to accommodate growth in the size of the collection. 3e. As part of addressing the over holding leases Council has with Brighton Historical Society, Brighton Art Short Term Society and Brighton Theatre Company, review the common areas in the Arts and Cultural Centre. 3f. Investigate the feasibility of moving the Brighton Theatre Company from its current location. This Medium / should include exploring: Long Term

- Whether the Theatre Company could use the main hall in the Arts and Cultural Centre for their performances

- Whether the Theatre Company could be relocated to the former Courthouse building in the Precinct

- Whether there is an alternate location outside the Brighton Cultural Precinct. This will require substantial discussions with the Theatre Company to understand their needs and identify how these can be best met. 3g. As part of the feasibility assessment about the Theatre Company, explore alternate space outcomes / Medium / solutions for the Gallery including relocating Council’s art collection from the caretaker’s cottage. Long Term

Issue No. Recommendations 3. Maximising use of the Spaces 3h. Investigate alternatives for the development and utilisation of the former Courthouse building Medium / continued…. including establishing a recording studio, rehearsal space, performance space, relocating Brighton Long Term Theatre Society to the building, establishing a co-working facility. 3i. Investigate whether it is feasible to relocate the Library administrative staff from the Brighton Library Medium / to the former caretaker’s cottage in the Arts and Cultural centre. This may be dependent upon whether Long Term Council’s art collection is can be relocated as outlined in recommendation 3g. 3j. Ensure recommendations 3f - 3i are implemented in a co-ordinated way that considers the benefits Medium / and impacts upon the Precinct as a whole. Long Term 4. Activation through 4a. Develop an annual calendar of events and activities: Short Term Programming - In the gardens such as children’s story time and book club (Library services), art classes (by the Brighton Art Society), pop up art exhibitions (Gallery and Arts Society), family picnic days, music in the gardens, live theatre (Brighton Theatre Company), movies under the stars, a pop up café, history week tours in partnership with the Historical Society.

- In the Arts and Cultural Centre such as regular craft markets or farmers markets that are held in the gardens during warmer weather, exhibitions by the Historical Society during History Week or Heritage week. 4b. Develop an annual program of exhibitions in the Library designed to promote the Gallery, the Historical Short Term Society, Arts Society and Theatre Company and encourage Library visitors to visit the Arts and Cultural Centre. 4c. Extend the opening hours of the Gallery to coincide with performances in the Theatre. For example the Short Term Gallery might have extended hours on the opening night of a Theatre season. Resourcing requirements for the Gallery will need to be examined as a part of this initiative. 4d. Work with the Historical Society to extend their opening hours to include a Saturday or Sunday. To Short Term implement this initiative, the organisation will require support in relation to marketing and promotion, and the resourcing and recruitment of volunteers (see recommendation 7a for further information about supporting volunteer organisations). 4e. Conduct a review to assess the effectiveness of the two year trial of a Precinct co-ordination role. Medium / Long Term

Issue No. Recommendations

5. Commercial Opportunities 5a. Undertake a detailed concept development and feasibility analysis for the establishment of a co- Medium / working facility in the Court House, including investigating whether some elements of a creative Long Term business incubator could be incorporated into a co-working facility. As noted in recommendation 3b above, it is proposed that this occur as part of exploring alternatives for the use and development of the former Courthouse building. 5b. Explore whether Council would support investing in the establishment of a quarterly indoor market in Medium / the Brighton Arts and Cultural Centre. Long Term 6. Role of the Precinct 6a. Take steps to cement the role of the Precinct as a centre for cultural activity and endeavours. This Short Term should include:

- Developing and offering an annual calendar of events and activities for the Precinct (see recommendation 4a above).

- Actively promoting the Precinct as a centre for cultural activity. - Facilitating groups and service areas to work together to develop cultural initiatives. - Making conscious choices about the programs, activities and initiatives offered in the Precinct, ensuring that they appeal to a cross section of the community.

- Reviewing the financial imperative to generate income from the hire of the gardens and the main hall in the Arts and Cultural Centre, and identifying whether there is capacity to generate alternate income sources through arts and cultural activity. 6b. Review the role of the Gallery to determine how the Gallery strikes a better balance between offering Short Term quality exhibitions and remaining accessible for the local community – both artists and community members visiting the Gallery.

Issue No. Recommendations

7. Support for Community 7a Provide support to Brighton Art Society, Brighton Historical Society and Brighton Theatre Company in Short Term Organisations relation to: - Publicising and promoting their activities as part of promotion for the broader Precinct. - Volunteer training and recruitment, identifying opportunities for joint training programs and initiatives.

- Digitising and consolidating collections, particularly the Historical Society. - Developing income generating opportunities such as publications, local history walks, art classes in the gardens, children’s theatre in the gardens.

- Developing new programming initiatives, particularly joint programming opportunities. 7b. Hold discussion with Brighton Benevolent Society to identify how Council can best assist the Short Term organisation to support disadvantaged members of the community, particularly exploring options to collocate with like service agencies.

ATTACHMENT A: Detailed Review of Past Planning

A.1 Bayside City Council Arts Strategy 1998 - 2001 The Arts Strategy was developed in response to Council’s Cultural Plan and identified opportunities for arts development in Bayside. While Council has undertaken additional arts and cultural planning work since this time, the Arts Strategy identifies some strategies which remain current and may have implications for the Brighton Cultural Precinct including:  Allocating resources for the specific development of a youth arts program in association with the Brighton Courthouse development  Extending the use of local heritage facilities for visual and performing arts events.  Identify and facilitate the exhibition of the work of local artists in Council facilities. This occurs predominantly at the ARTrium exhibition space located in the foyer of the Bayside Corporate Centre. The Gallery @ Bayside Arts and Cultural Centre (Brighton) which opened in 2011 also showcases the work of practising Bayside artists but much less frequently. The lack of opportunity for local artists in the Gallery was identified as an issue by stakeholders through the consultation process for the Brighton Cultural Precinct Plan.  Develop a ‘place making’ program in association with the urban village strategy and other major public space developments that places emphasis on local involvements and the integration of art and functional design elements.  Evaluate opportunities for community facilities to be developed as arts and cultural venues to ensure usage / access by a wide cross section of the local community.  Evaluate the supply and demand for flexible meeting and workshop spaces for new and emerging arts and cultural groups.  Investigate opportunities for accessible studio space in underutilised council facilities.

A.2 Bayside City Council Cultural Action Plan 2004 - 2007 The Cultural Action Plan built upon the Arts Strategy and was designed to engage, develop, and nurture cultural activities whilst maintaining its strategic requirements to reflect Council policy, cultural planning and agreed resources and budget constraints. The Action Plan identifies Brighton Town Hall as one of five historic properties owned by Council describing it as Bayside City Council’s Arts and Cultural Centre, home to several community groups and operating as a venue for hire with a hall, 100 seat gallery, seating for 300 people and a function room.

The Strategy identifies the following strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in relation to the Brighton Town Hall:

Strengths: Home to a range of cultural and non-cultural organisations, the venue functions successfully for cultural groups that utilise the facility. The theatrette is considered to be an excellent venue by the community and extremely successful. It is easily accessible by public transport and has adequate car parking.

Weaknesses: A lack of signage resulting in limited public awareness The main hall is considered too expensive to hire by local groups. The current format of the building means it has little scope to support emerging cultural groups.

Opportunities Develop the Town Hall as a dedicated arts and cultural centre, establishing the area as a cultural precinct.

Threats Securing funding for the ongoing maintenance and operation of the facility, plus funding for upgrade works. Competition from arts and cultural facilities in neighbouring municipalities.

Long term Strategic Priorities and Objectives (10 years) relevant to the Brighton Cultural Precinct include:  Developing a purpose built art gallery or museum for touring exhibitions and permanent display of the Bayside City Council art collection. To be linked with an Arts and Cultural Centre.  Developing an Arts Business Incubator.  Achieving delivery of cultural programs, events and activities within the desired mix of 30% Council driven delivery and 70% community driven delivery.  Developing strategies to link significant cultural programs, events and activities with Council Cultural Facilities.

Short term Strategic Priorities and Objectives (3 years) relevant to the Brighton Cultural Precinct include:  Developing a dedicated Arts and Cultural Centre commencing with development of a strategic plan for an Arts and cultural centre including amendments / upgrades to the existing Centre at Brighton Town Hall.  Developing a program for use of Council venues by local artists, creative groups and arts workers.  Undertaking a feasibility study and business plan for an Arts / Business Incubator concept.  Developing greater strategic integration between cultural programming and activity between different departments of Council – specifically libraries, economic development, leisure and youth services.

 Establishing active development of tourism opportunities through Bayside’s cultural assets and programs. A.3 Final Report - Arts and Cultural Centre / Arts Business Incubator 2005 Identified as a key priority in the 2004 Bayside Cultural Action Plan, Bayside Council commissioned a feasibility study for an Arts and Cultural Centre and an Arts Business Incubator in 2005. The project was completed in two stages with the first stage:  Scoping the vision and broad expectations for the Bayside Arts and Cultural Centre (BACC) and the Business Arts Incubator (BAI).  Developing and applying selection criteria for locating the BACC and ABI, with four building considered including Billilla Mansion, Higgenbotham Hall, Brighton Court House and Brighton Town Hall.  Identifying Brighton Town Hall was the favoured and most feasible site for the BACC  Developing options for staging the development of the BACC  Recommending that further investigation into the ABI be deferred. The stage 1 Report identified that a business incubator was unlikely to provide a return on capital and there were limited external capital funding options available. A substantial proportion of the Brighton Town Hall would be required to ensure the operational viability of the Business Incubator, impacting negatively upon existing tenants and the architecture of the building.

The mission statement for the BACC was focused upon the development of a large flagship cultural facility. The Report recommends that the Centre focus on visual arts with opportunities for small scale performances which enhance or compliment the visual art experience. The Centre was to become the anchor of a vibrant cultural, entertainment and civic precinct, offering a wide selection of complementary activities including dining, bars, public art, gardens, music and children’s play. The Report identified an ideal development option and staged development option. The ideal development option recommended the following:  Relocating the 84 seat theatre and ancillary services to the Town Hall auditorium or off-site.  Upgrading the Town hall auditorium to include retractable raked seating and bar beneath seating gallery to accommodate Brighton Theatre Company and general events and functions.  Upgrading the kitchen.  A permanent exhibition gallery be established in the current general purpose room fronting Wilson Street  Creating a high level temporary gallery for traveling and community exhibitions located across the entire eastern wing of the building.  Refitting of dressing rooms and props storage area to create storage for the Bayside City Council collection and a preparatory workshop for temporary exhibitions.  Relocation Brighton Benevolent Society and Brighton Christian Church.  Relocation of the male toilet to provide access to a lift via the central corridor

 Upgrade the reception, foyer and toilet facilities.  Provide a direct loading dock to access the new collection storage area in the temporary gallery and new Town Hall backstage dressing rooms and storage wing in the south western corner.  Brighton Theatre Company to use south western corner rooms.  Upgrading the air conditioning in the exhibition galleries, foyer, reception and offices.  Upgrade general electrical and fire services. Upper Level  Existing tenants remain and Council Cultural Services utilise upgraded south western corner rooms.  Backstage area repaired and upgraded for theatre storage.  Upgrade toilets and kitchen.  Upgrade general electrical and fire services.

The estimated capital cost of the ideal development option was $948,363 exclusive of GST.

The staged development option recommended the following: Ground Floor  That the 84 seat theatre and ancillary services (foyer, bar, storage, dressing rooms) remain unchanged  That the major function space in the Town hall remain unchanged  A permanent exhibition gallery be established in the current general purpose room fronting Wilson Street  That a temporary gallery for travelling and community exhibitions be provided in the eastern wing, requiring the relocation of Brighton Benevolent Society and Brighton Christian Church.  Locating a reception desk and Cultural Services Offices at the entry to the temporary exhibition gallery.  Relocation of the male toilet to provide access to a lift via the central corridor  Upgrade the reception, foyer and toilet facilities.  Provide a direct loading dock to access the new collection storage wing in the south western corner of the building.  Upgrading the air conditioning in the exhibition galleries, foyer, reception and offices.  Upgrade general electrical and fire services. Upper Level  Existing tenants remain and Council Cultural Services utilise upgraded south western corner rooms.

 Upgrade toilets and kitchen.  Upgrade general electrical and fire services.

The estimated capital cost of the staged development option was $545,762 exclusive of GST.

A.4 Bayside Arts and Cultural Centre Stage 1 – Feasibility and Concept Design Report 2007 Commissioned in 2007, this Report provided detailed concept plans for the development of exhibition spaces within the Brighton Town Hall. The Report provided two concept options and cost estimates.  The first was described as a ‘low intervention option’ focused upon providing permanent and temporary exhibition spaces, reception / workstation space to monitor the gallery, storage for the Bayside City Council art collection and a loading bay for the safe and secure entry of art works into the building. The cost to implement this option was estimated to be $230,094.  The second was described as a ‘strategic option’ which provided the same outcomes as outlined in option 1, and in addition addressed security and access issues including removing the need to use the gallery as a thoroughfare and continuing to provide access and amenity for other occupants of the building. Specifically this option proposed that the existing lift be replaced with a two way car, additional storage for Council’s art collection be provided in the building, and access routes for other tenants be changed. This cost to implement this option was estimated to be $453,678.

Importantly this Report outlined Council’s functional requirements for the building and the constraints and challenges of the site including:  A preference to maintain the built fabric of the Town Hall.  A preference to retain the ability to operate the main hall venue  A preference to retain access to the kitchen and main hall from the supper room  the heritage listing of the building which places controls on all external works including external signage  The age and condition of the existing spaces and services  That the existing lobby is a thoroughfare for all tenants to access different parts of the building compromising security for potential exhibition spaces.

A.5 City of Bayside Heritage Review: Brighton Town Hall Precinct August 2009 The Heritage Review outlines in detail the history and significance of the Brighton Town Hall Precinct identifying (in addition to other aspects of the Precinct) that the:  Former Brighton Town Hall,

 Former Court House,  Former Municipal Offices, and  Remnants of the formal garden including rose garden, grand staircase and rectangular pond, are considered to be crucial to the overall aesthetic, architectural, historical and social significance of the Precinct.

In addition, the Review identifies that the:  Bronze replica of C D Richardson’s The Cloud (1987),  Slavo Tumbas’ Genesis Sculptures (1999),  Memorial plaques in the paved forecourt to the former Municipal Offices, and  Mature trees in the Town Hall Garden, notably the cypress trees and the prominent cork oak, are considered to make a contribution to the overall aesthetic, architectural, historical and social significance of the Precinct.

As a consequence of the Review, a planning scheme amendment was proposed and adopted and a heritage overlay (HO764) applied to the Brighton Town Hall Precinct. This was in addition to the existing heritage overlays for the:  Former Municipal Offices which are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register (H1292)  Brighton Town Hall (HO397), and  Former Brighton Court House (HO447). Section 43.01 of the Bayside Planning Scheme outlines the heritage controls which apply to the Precinct as a whole and the specific buildings as identified above. Key aspects of the controls are that a planning permit is required to construct a building or carry out works including but not limited to street furniture, bicycle pathways and trails, construction or display of a sign, anything which changes the appearance of the heritage place, and removal, destroying or lopping a tree.

The Brighton Town Hall Precinct is zoned in the Bayside Planning Scheme PUZ6 – Public Use Zone Local Government.

A.6 Bayside Library, Arts and Cultural Strategy 2012 - 2017 Developed in 2012, the Strategy identifies issues and priorities and outlines the direction for the provision of library, arts and cultural services and infrastructure in the City of Bayside. Importantly the Strategy identifies a number of issues, opportunities and priority areas which may have implications for the Brighton Cultural Precinct. These are outlined below.

Feedback from the Bayside community suggests:  Artists would like opportunities to connect with other artists

 Meeting spaces for community groups are in short supply  A café in or near the libraries would be welcomed by many  Arts practitioners, businesses and community arts and cultural groups all want more opportunities for collaboration.

The Strategy identifies and explores five key themes related to each theme. Outlined below are those which are of considered to be of greatest relevance to the review of the Brighton Cultural Precinct.  Places and spaces: Ensuring they are right for the community in the future

- Brighton library is identified as being part of a community precinct with the potential for further development as a cultural hub or community focal point to draw a wider range of community members and encourage higher levels of participation. It is suggested that Brighton library patrons might welcome a café, possibly in the old court house.

- Identify under-utilised facilities in the community suitable for arts and cultural programs and investigate ways of making them accessible to community arts groups and artists

- Review the physical requirements of all occupants in the Brighton Arts and Cultural Centre and plan for the most effective use of the space available.  Community responsiveness: Keeping services responsive to changing local needs.

- Review the current suite of arts and cultural programs with a view to shifting the balance from audience events to participative, community-initiated programs that deliver measurable community benefit  Partnerships and collaboration: Creating more opportunities to work together

- Work with Council’s Economic Development Unit to grow relationships with creative businesses and promote Bayside as a hub for creativity and innovation

- Support practising artists through provision of opportunities for networking and collaboration, display and promotion of works and linkages to creative businesses and cultural organisations.

A.7 Draft Economic Development Strategy 2014 This document is an update and revision of the inaugural Economic Development Strategy (EDS) adopted by Council in 2010. Since that time, a number of key developments have occurred providing an impetus to update the Strategy including:  Adoption of the 2020 Community Plan and Council Plan 2013 – 2017,  Access to new research and data about the Bayside Economy  The development of the Victorian State Government Plan Melbourne Metropolitan Strategy and application of new planning zones, and  The Victorian Parliamentary inquiry into economic development in Victoria.

The Strategy indicates that Bayside’s economy has maintained a similar composition and direction to that identiﬁed in the 2010 Strategy. In particular, Bayside continues to enjoy a strong, diversiﬁed, service sector-based economy with areas of alignment between the skills of residents and the local jobs available. The overall role for Council in the local economy, therefore, remains unchanged and is as essential as before.

The Strategy identifies five economic drivers, with associated objectives, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and actions. Outline below are those which may have some connection to or implications for the Brighton Cultural Precinct.

Economic Driver: Leveraging and building Bayside’s human capital.  Council objective: To support the City’s business community as an important local employer, investor and contractor of services.  Action: Undertake a Cost/Beneﬁt Analysis on Business Incubator/co-working spaces and models

Economic Driver: Strengthening Bayside’s businesses: comparative advantages and competitiveness.  Council objective: To facilitate local business initiatives and collaboration.  Strength: Other high-value local industries have grown strongly as new emerging strengths particularly, ﬁnancial services, and arts and recreation.  Opportunity: Foster business creativity and innovation, particularly among emerging local industries which compliment local resident workforce cohorts – ﬁnancial and arts/rec

ATTACHMENT B: Detailed Findings from Consultation Program

Provided as a separate attachment

ATTACHMENT C: Pre-Feasibility Study of Commercial Uses Provided as a separate attachment.

PRE-FEASIBILITY STUDY OF COMMERCIAL USES IN THE BRIGHTON CULTURAL PRECINCT

Prepared for Michelle Read, Planning for Communities

3 September 2014

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Introduction ...... 1

2 Potential Commercial Uses...... 2

2.1 Town Halls across Melbourne ...... 2

2.2 Cultural Complex, Johnston Street, Collingwood ...... 5

2.3 Incubators...... 7

2.4 Relevance for Brighton Cultural Precinct ...... 9

3 Assessment Criteria ...... 10

3.1 Bayside Library, Arts and Cultural Strategy 2012 – 2017 ...... 10

3.2 Bayside Planning Scheme ...... 11

3.3 Bayside Economic Development Strategy 2014 - 2017 ...... 12

4 Assessment of long list of potential uses ...... 14

4.1 Scoring the Potential Commercial Activities ...... 14

4.2 Result of assessment of long list of commercial uses ...... 17

5 Assessment of preferred uses ...... 18

5.1 Creative Business Incubator ...... 18

5.2 Co-working facility ...... 21

5.3 Indoor and outdoor market ...... 25

6 Compatibility of Options and Conclusion ...... 30 1 Introduction

A precinct plan is currently under development for the Brighton Cultural Precinct, in City of Bayside. The Cultural Precinct is bounded by Carpenter Street, Wilson Street, Boxshall Street and St Andrews Street. The Brighton Library, Council Chambers, Brighton Town Hall and Courthouse are located in the Precinct, which also has a formal rose garden and large trees of significance to Bayside’s heritage.

A pre-feasibility study was commissioned in order to identify potential commercial uses that could occur in the Precinct and assist with its activation. The tasks that were undertaken as part of this pre-feasibility study included:

• Site visit to the Brighton Cultural Precinct • Review of relevant strategies and plans, including the draft Brighton Cultural Precinct Plan • Desktop review of other precincts of a similar nature to Brighton Cultural Precinct to identify a broad range of potential commercial uses • Develop assessment criteria that reflect strategic priorities for commercial development and Bayside’s social and community aspirations • Assess long list of identified commercial uses, and from this assessment, identify best performing potential uses for a high-level pre-feasibility analysis • Provide conclusion and recommendation for commercial uses within the Brighton Cultural Precinct

This report sets out the results of the desktop review, the analysis and findings in terms of feasibility of commercial uses that would achieve further activation of the Brighton Cultural Precinct.

1 | Page

2 Potential Commercial Uses

To identify a range of commercial uses that could be investigated for the precinct, a desktop review has been undertaken. This desktop review included:

• a review of uses of other town halls across Melbourne that are no longer used as municipal offices; • a review of a cultural complex in Collingwood, which is part of the Creative Spaces program; and • a review of various business incubators with a focus on creative industries incubators and co-working spaces.

The inclusion of business incubators in this review is motivated by the action areas for Council listed in the Economic Development Strategy from 2010. The Strategy identifies home based and micro businesses as an emerging strength in the municipality and identified that support was required to provide, ‘virtual or physical business incubator style services (such as shared reception, marketing, meeting and communications resources) to reduce the level of isolation for owner/operators’.

2.1 Town Halls across Melbourne

A desktop study was undertaken of the use of town halls in Melbourne which are no longer used as municipal offices. This study revealed that the predominant use of a town hall is for venue hire, art galleries and/or theatre performance space. One town hall, the redeveloped Hawthorn Arts Centre, has a café operating at the premises seven days a week. Otherwise users have to organise their own catering. The South Melbourne Town Hall is now occupied by Australian National Academy of Music and Multicultural Arts Victoria, and the availability of the hall for venue hire is therefore restricted.

A list of these Melbourne town halls and their current uses is provided in Table 1.

Table 1: List of Town Halls in Melbourne and their Current Use

Town Hall Current Use Commercial Activity

Box Hill Town In 2006, the town hall underwent a $6.5 million None apart from redevelopment as a hub for community based venue hire. Hall services and programs and a home for the City of Whitehorse arts and historical collections.

Brunswick The Brunswick Town Hall and Atrium is available Venue hire at for hire, and is a venue for the Brunswick Music $170/hr for

2 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

Town Hall Current Use Commercial Activity

Town Hall Festival. minimum three The building contains the Counihan Gallery and hours. the Brunswick branch of the City Library. The Free entry to the gallery offers one curatorial internship each year gallery. Open Wed – for a graduate or postgraduate student of Sat 11 – 5pm, Sun 1 – Curatorial Studies, Museum Studies or Arts 5pm. Management.

Essendon Town Renamed the Clocktower Centre, it is a Council- Full program of operated venue for performing arts as well as theatre (Morning Hall community and corporate activities. Adjacent to Music program,), and activity centre in densely populated area with school performances. good public transport access. Also other events, eg. Victorian body building championships.

Collingwood Functions as secondary offices for City of Yarra None other than and is now a used for special functions and as an venue hire. Town Hall exhibition space.

Hawthorn The Hall was renamed Hawthorn Arts Centre at Café which offers a its official opening in November 2013, after a seven-days-a-week Town Hall $17.9 million redevelopment which commenced service, focused on in April 2012 to convert the former town hall into breakfast and lunch, a regional arts spaceVarious ticketed shows (415 - but also catering for $30). . Located in Glenferrie Road, convenient for pre-theatre guest. retail and public transport. Seating for 40 inside, 20 outside. M – F: 7:30 – 4pm, S – S: 8 – 4pm

Kensington Undergoing refurbishment for $2.8. Managed by None other than City of Melbournel. The intended uses will venue hire. Town Hall include affordable spaces for large community Hot desk hire for social and celebratory functions, safe spaces for local micro young people to gather, arts activities and businesses. community education and training spaces, the availability of hot desks for local organisations and micro-businesses. No commercial spaces. Shared offices will be available for use by local community groups and not-for-profit organisations on a licensed and non-exclusive basis.

3 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

Town Hall Current Use Commercial Activity

Northcote The Town Hall was redeveloped and renovated Only theatre and into an Arts, Community and Cultural venue. It venue hire. Town Hall has seven meeting rooms, two large studios for performances and events, a large main hall seating up to 450 people and an outdoor civic square used for outdoor markets and performances. Current user groups include Italian Northcote Pensioners Club, Mini Maestros, yoga and meditation groups, karate group, investors club, Star Trek fan club, youth arts group. Home to Darebin Arts Speakeasy – an independent theatre program. Tickets $21 - $26. Hosts a Youth Concerto Competition organised by Preston Symphony Orchestra where under-18s are provided the opportunity of performing as a soloist with the orchestra.

South Home to the Australian National Academy of Ongoing lease held Music (ANAM) which is the national centre for by Australian Melbourne development of musicians with outstanding National Academy of Town Hall talent in Australia. Used for performances and Music and recitals. From 2012, also home to Multicultural Multicultural Arts Arts Victoria, Victoria's peak arts organisation Victoria. promoting cultural diversity in the arts. Limited availability of town hall venue for hire (capacity of 400 theatre style) and two meeting rooms.

Source: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_town_halls_in_Melborne, and various council and town hall websites.

Surprisingly, there are not many commercial activities in connection with the heritage town hall buildings across Melbourne. The following are noted as having potential for the spaces in the Brighton Cultural Precinct.

• Expanded theatre activity, gallery and performances; • Indoor and outdoor market (as at Northcote Town Hall) • Café (as at Hawthorn Arts Centre) • Office hire (as at South Melbourne Town Hall) • Meeting room hire (various) • Shared office space hire for micro business and not for profit (as planned for Kensington Town Hall) • Increased use by community groups (as at Northcote Town Hall)

4 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

2.2 Cultural Complex, Johnston Street, Collingwood

Magic Johnston is a 1200m² Cultural Complex at 27 - 29 Johnston Street Collingwood. It is set in an old, fully renovated warehouse, and is envisaged as a cultural complex with the primary objective to assist in the development of local creative culture. It is part of the Creative Spaces program established by the City of Melbourne Arts and Culture Branch. This program partners with government, philanthropic, and private organisations and educational institutions to provide a broad range of services around space for arts and cultural production.

Magic Johnston has a studio element, hot desk work spaces, a kitchen, events space, communal areas and meeting rooms. It offers room for 50 freelance creatives and creative businesses across a diverse range of fields. Members of the studio will receive 24-hour access with electronic swipe cards. Spaces are available ranging from prebuilt open plan desks starting at $80 per week to 25m² private lockable spaces for up to three people costing $250 per week excluding GST. Private lockable spaces can sub-let a desk to another creative, if they do not require the full 25m².

Figure 1: Lockup studio advertising desk space for sub-lease

Source: www.creativespaces.net.au

The Good Copy has leased approximately 200m² in the complex with street frontage. Billed as a studio, shop, school and events space, The Good Copy is a new type of commercial activity which has established in a heritage building. It forms part of ‘an artistic renaissance for the street’ as reported in The Age, 5 August 2014.

5 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

The Good Copy is shop is a shop for writers. It describes itself as a place where any type of writer or aspiring writer can come and write over a coffee. It sells magazines, coffee, and books. The books that it stocks are mainly about writing and grammar, including dictionaries and some reference books. It also runs free forums on subjects such as how to interview, does book launches, and screens films about writers and journalist, etc. It will also offer evening courses on grammar and punctuation.

A team of eight people are involved in running the business, including an operations manager, three editors, and four directors (a creative director, managing director, editorial director, and strategy director).

Figure 2: The Good Copy Shop and Design Studio.

Source: The Design Files. Photo – Eve Wilson, production - Lisa Marie Corso / The Design Files.

6 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

Both the desks, lockable offices and a creative business like this writers ‘shop’ could also be suitable commercial activities for the Brighton Cultural Precinct.

2.3 Incubators

Creative incubators have emerged world-wide in recognition of potential to strengthen competitiveness of conventional businesses by collaborating with creative businesses. Examples of creative incubators in Europe include a refurbished former industrial complex of 13,000m², hosted space at a university for incubating and commercialising small spin off businesses (with EU funding), and a co-working space in Berlin with a relaxed ‘coffeehouse’ atmosphere1. The latter consists of 2000m² over 3 levels with 1500m² available co-working spaces and a café at the ground floor.

A Melbourne example is the Darebin Creative and Digital Arts Incubator housed in the former Northcote Police Station. It was established in 2010 by Darebin Enterprise Centre with support from City of Darebin. It has the capacity to accommodate up to 12 client businesses and provides critical services such as financial management, clerical services, marketing planning, networking opportunities and legal/governance knowledge. Darebin Enterprise Centre has a well-established business incubator program which includes a general business incubator, an indigenous business incubator, and, as the latest addition, a co-working space in Banyule called the Banyule digiDECL.

Figure 3: Former Northcote Police Station

Source: http://www.creativespaces.net.au/case-studies/artdecl

1 http://www.creativeincubators.eu 7 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

Co-working is an emergent trend, made possible by the revolution in mobile technology. It has grown rapidly, spurred on initially by the global financial crises and the sudden explosion in number of freelancers operating across industries. Co-working spaces have emerged to meet demand by freelancers for comfortable working environments with the opportunity to socialise, collaborate and be inspired.

Co-working spaces can be informal or more formal arrangements. Informal arrangements occur where a sole operator leases a desk in an office where the lease-holder has extra space available and is interested in a contribution towards covering costs. Formal arrangements are business establishments with their main purpose to providing shared office space, or more recently, desk space in a building/space which is tailored to co- working. An example in Melbourne of a formal co-working space is HUB Melbourne, on level 3 at 673 Bourke Street. HUB Melbourne is part of HUB Australia with hubs in Sydney and Adelaide and also part of a global hub network. HUB Melbourne offers 600m² and capacity is approximately one member per square metre (as members do not generally use the space on a full time basis).

Figure 4: HUB Melbourne offers a variety of work areas

Source: www. http://architectureau.com, Photo: Dianna Snape

Memberships at HUB Melbourne cost from $450 per month for 3 – 5 days per week to $650 per month for an unlimited use membership.

The review of arts and creative business incubators and the co-working facilities that have been established show that the Brighton Cultural precinct has the buildings to house such an incubator or co-working facility. The creative and arts incubator that have been

8 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

established by the Darebin Enterprise Centre is housed in a former police station, while the Banyule DigiDECL is located in a 1950s mall. HUB Melbourne is in an office building. The building itself does not seem to be as important.

These spaces seem to range in size. In terms of floor area, HUB Melbourne comprises 400m², while BetaHaus Berlin co-working facility comprises 2000m². The buildings in the Cultural Precinct would therefore have the capacity to accommodate either an incubator or a co-working facility.

2.4 Relevance for Brighton Cultural Precinct

This desktop review of uses of town halls, the cultural complex in Collingwood and various business incubators and co-working spaces has provided some commercial uses that can be assessed for the Brighton Cultural Precinct. The uses that have emerged from this desktop study will be combined with the uses that emerged through community consultation for the assessment. The long list of uses comprises:

• Expanded theatre activity, gallery (and sale of associated gifts and articles) and performances; • Indoor and outdoor market (as at Northcote Town Hall) • Café (as at Hawthorn Arts Centre) • Office hire (as at South Melbourne Town Hall) • Meeting room hire (various) • Shared office space hire for micro business and not for profit • Increased use by community groups (as at Northcote Town Hall) • Cultural Complex with leaseable floor space, work space for creative and exhibition/studio/gallery space • Writers shop (standalone – not as part of wider suite of activities) • Creative businesses incubator, and • Co-working facility

This long list of uses will be assessed against a set of criteria that are based on Bayside’s strategies for economic development and on the community’s creative and cultural aspirations as evidenced in relevant social and cultural strategies.

9 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

3 Assessment Criteria To assess the range of commercial uses that are identified as part of the desktop review of other precincts, a number of assessment criteria are applied. The development of these assessment criteria flows from existing Council vision and strategies. In particular, the strategies that guide culture and arts development, as well as economic development in the municipality have been used to develop the assessment criteria. These strategies are the Bayside Library, Arts and Cultural Strategy 2012 – 2017 and the Draft Economic Development Strategy 2014. Older strategies have been reviewed to ensure that there is no conflict with previous visions and objectives, but the focus for developing the assessment criteria has been on the most recent strategies available.

To ensure that both financial feasibility and the vision for arts and cultural development in Bayside are reflected, the assessment criteria are equally divided between arts and cultural criteria and economic and financial criteria.

3.1 Bayside Library, Arts and Cultural Strategy 2012 – 2017 This strategy has been reviewed by Planning for Communities, and the following issues, opportunities and priority areas which may have implications for the Brighton Cultural Precinct have been identified:

Issues –

• Artists would like opportunities to connect with other artists • Meeting spaces for community groups are in short supply • A café in or near the libraries would be welcomed by many • Arts practitioners, business and community arts and cultural groups all want more opportunities for collaboration.

The Strategy identifies and explores five key themes related to each issue, and have developed a set of actions that will address the issues. The relevant themes are:

• Places and spaces: ensuring the are right for the community in the future • Community responsiveness: Keeping services responsive to changing local needs • Partnership and collaboration: Creating more opportunities to work together • Smarter resource utilisation: using existing resources better

Feedback from community organisations and other stakeholders furthermore highlighted some issues with the current performance of the cultural precinct. The cultural and arts

10 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

related assessment criteria have been developed from these issues and themes and are shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: Cultural Assessment Criteria

Label Criteria Origin

S1 Does the activity further Partnership and collaboration theme – creating partnerships and collaboration? more opportunity to work together

S2 Does the activity encourage Smarter resource utilisation theme – staying people to stay for longer? longer increases the utilisation rate of the physical infrastructure and spaces, and provides more opportunities to meet other people

S3 Does the activity meet current, Community responsiveness theme – keeping identified community need? services responsive to local changing needs

S4 Does the activity contribute to Places and spaces – ensuring they are right for the developing the Brighton Cultural community in the future. The identification of Precinct as an arts and culture this precinct as a cultural hub or community focal precinct? point that draws in a wider range of community members.

S5 Does the activity contribute to As above widening the circle of users of the precinct?

3.2 Bayside Planning Scheme To reflect the aspirations and constraints that are embedded in the heritage aspects of the site, an additional criterion has been added (shown in Figure 6 on the following page). This criterion reflects the importance to the community of maintaining the integrity of the heritage aspects of the site, given that the Town Hall and Courthouse buildings, the gardens and significant trees are protected by a heritage overlay in the Bayside Planning Scheme.

Figure 6: Cultural Heritage Assessment Criteria

Label Criteria Origin

H1 Does the activity affect the Heritage overlay on buildings and gardens heritage aspect of the site? and significant trees.

11 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

3.3 Bayside Economic Development Strategy 2014 - 2017 This Economic Development Strategy provides an update of the previous strategy from 2010. The update reflects changes in the planning environment, new data that has become available and takes into considerations the actions from the previous strategy that have already been implemented. It has also been updated to ensure that it reflects the vision and directions put forward in the Community Plan 2020 and the Council Plan 2013 – 17 which are cornerstones guiding the development and future for residents and businesses in Bayside.

The strategy indicates that Bayside continues to enjoy a strong, diversified, service sector- based economy with areas of alignment between the skills of residents and the local jobs available. Bayside is at the forefront of transitions within the broader national economy towards information and highly-skilled based ‘quaternary’ and ‘quinary’ sector activities. (In the Strategy, ‘Quaternary’ and ‘Quinary Sector’ is clarified as terms used by economists (Kenessey, 19872) to refer to new subsets of the Tertiary Sector that include increasingly specialised and sophisticated areas of ‘information’ and decision-making, service-based activity. These are distinguished from the lower-order service functions in other Tertiary Sector industries.) The Strategy identifies the transformation towards these ‘Quaternary’ and ‘Quinary Sector’ activities as a positive trend, as wages and profit potential in these specialised sectors are high. Being information and knowledge based also means that these sectors avoid some of the negative environmental externalities of earlier primary and secondary sector production. The overall role for Council in the local economy is therefore to identify actions to consolidate and strengthen the key drivers of Bayside’s economy, whilst preserving a high quality lifestyle for residents. Part of the vision for economic development is therefore that the focus is on … new growth and investment in a local economy and business community increasingly structured around innovative, knowledge and service oriented enterprises.

The Strategy identifies five economic drivers, with associated objectives, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and actions. Two of these drivers are identified below as possibly having some connection to or implications for the Brighton Cultural Precinct.

Economic drivers – • Leveraging and building Bayside’s human capital • Strengthening Bayside’s businesses – comparative advantages and competitiveness

2 Kennessey, Z. (1987), The Primary, Secondary, Tertiary and Quaternary Sectors of the Economy, US Federal Reserve Board. 12 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

The objectives that flow from these drivers can be used as assessment criteria for the commercial activities that are considered for the Precinct. The economic and business criteria are shown in Figure 7 below.

Figure 7: Economic and Business Assessment Criteria

Label Criteria Origin

E1 Does the activity support the City’s Economic driver: Leveraging and building business community as an important Bayside’s human capital. Council objective. local employer, investor and contractor of services?

E2 Does the activity facilitate local Economic driver: Strengthening Bayside’s business initiatives and businesses: comparative advantages and collaboration? competitiveness. Council objective.

E3 Does the activity foster business Economic driver: Strengthening Bayside’s creativity and innovation businesses: comparative advantages and competitiveness. Identified opportunity. Council Plan 2013 – 17, Goal 6: A thriving local economy. Strategic Objective 6.1: Supporting creation of a strong, creative and innovative local economy.

E4 Is the activity likely to be financially Any new activity needs to be financially viable, or does the activity have the viable. potential to be financially viable

13 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

4 Assessment of long list of potential uses

As described in Section 2, a long list of commercial uses for the precinct were identified through a desktop review of uses in similar precincts and further broadened by suggestions that emerged through consultation. The long list of uses comprises:

• Expanded theatre activity, gallery (and sale of associated gifts and articles) and performances; • Indoor and outdoor market (as at Northcote Town Hall) • Café (as at Hawthorn Arts Centre) • Office hire (as at South Melbourne Town Hall) • Meeting room hire (various) • Shared office space hire for micro business and not for profit • Increased use by community groups (as at Northcote Town Hall) • Cultural Complex with leasable floor space, work space for creative and exhibition/studio/gallery space • Writers shop (standalone – not as part of wider suite of activities) • Creative businesses incubator, and • Co-working facility

These activities are assessed against the assessment criteria that have been developed from the strategies and actions as described in Section 3.

4.1 Scoring the Potential Commercial Activities

The following methodology has been used to apply the assessment criteria.

1. The criteria are given equal weight. 2. Each criterion is scored on a scale from 1 to 5. 3. Each criterion is framed as a question. The answer to the ‘criteria’ question that best fits amongst the following is scored with the associated number of points. • Poor 1 • Somewhat poor 2 • Average 3 • Well 4 • Very well 5

14 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

In the application of these scores, the maximum number of points that an activity can achieve is 50 points, the minimum is 10.

For the Cultural Heritage criteria, the answer concerns whether the activity would compromise the heritage aspects of the precinct, for example through required changes to the buildings or surrounds. If no changes that affect the heritage aspects of the site/precinct are required, the activity is given a score of 5.

The result of the scoring of activities is shown in Table 2 on the following page.

15 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

Table 2: List of Potential Commercial Uses and Assessment against Criteria

Uses C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 H1 E1 E2 E3 E4 Total

Expanded theatre activity, gallery (and sale of 3 3 3 3 3 5 2 2 2 2 28 associated gifts and articles) and performances Indoor and outdoor market (as at Northcote Town 3 5 4 5 5 4 3 3 2 3 37 Hall) Café (as at Hawthorn Arts Centre) 1 4 3 3 3 5 3 3 2 3 30 Office hire (as at South Melbourne Town Hall) 1 1 1 2 2 5 4 4 2 4 26 Meeting room hire (open to anyone) 2 2 4 3 3 5 4 4 3 4 34 Shared office space hire for micro business and not 3 3 4 3 3 5 4 4 4 3 36 for profit (subsidised rent) Increased use by community groups (subsidised 2 3 4 3 3 5 2 2 2 2 28 rent or rent free) Cultural Complex with leasable floor space, work space for creative & exhibition/ studio /gallery 4 3 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 37 space (subsidised rent) Writers shop (standalone – cost recovery rent) 3 3 2 4 4 5 4 4 3 4 36 Creative businesses incubator (cost recovery rent) 5 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 4 44 Co-working facility (cost recovery rent) 3 3 3 3 3 5 4 5 5 5 39

Note: subsidised rent = rent that does not cover operational costs; cost recovery rent = rent that recovers operational costs

16 | Page

4.2 Result of assessment of long list of commercial uses

The assessment of potential commercial uses shows that the following uses perform best against the assessment criteria:

1. Creative businesses incubator 2. Co-working facility with cost recovery rent 3. a) Indoor and outdoor market as at Northcote Town Hall b) Cultural Complex

The Indoor and outdoor market and the Cultural Complex rated equal third in preferences. For the commercial assessment, only the Indoor and outdoor market will be progressed. This is because the floor area requirement of a Cultural Complex is in the range of 400m² – 1200m². Within the Brighton Cultural Precinct, this floor area requirement could only be met by displacing current ongoing uses in the Town Hall, Council Chambers or Library, and this is not an option in the short or medium term.

Therefore only the following commercial uses will be assessed further:

1. Creative businesses incubator 2. Co-working facility with cost recovery rent 3. Indoor and outdoor market as at Northcote Town Hall

17 | Page

5 Assessment of preferred uses

5.1 Creative Business Incubator

Objective: A creative business incubator is intended as a tool for establishing and building the creative sector in Brighton and Bayside. As incorporated in Council’s strategies and planning for business development, it would be intended to facilitate local business initiatives and collaboration, foster business creativity and innovation. It should also reflect the cultural aspirations for the precinct and serve to widen the precinct’s circle of users. The creative business incubator would need to be a financially viable activity.

Concept: A creative business incubator could be accommodated in the Courthouse. It would be targeted primarily at small start-up companies in the creative sector, with the objective to assist and support them to establish an office in a recognised location with a professional address from which to further grow their business. A creative incubator would also be a channel for Council to deliver relevant business development programs to these start-up businesses, and for other businesses to offer and provide relevant formal training for the start-up businesses or their staff. The creative business incubator is also envisaged to include a formal mentoring arrangement and to provide business health checks by Council’s economic development staff or their advisors.

Each business would have their own small office space, for which they pay a ‘licence fee’. This is similar to rent, but is offered on a month-to-month basis, and does not have the same legal implications as a lease agreement. The licence fees would be based on commercial rates charged in the wider area.

To accommodate training delivery, the facility needs to have a ‘training’ room, which could also function as a large meeting room. The incubator would be staffed with a part time economic development officer or other staff from Council, so they are on hand to assist businesses.

There would be 24/7 access to the incubator, as each license holder would have their own lockable area within the facility. It is envisaged that a key-card access system would be implemented.

The building includes a shared kitchen facility. No dedicated parking would be offered; on street parking is available near the Courthouse.

The incubator would be in competition (to a limited degree) with office spaces of 15m² to 25m² provided in Bay Street.

18 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

Figure 8: City of Darebin's ARTdecl – in Northcote

Source: http://www.artdecl.com.au

Competition: Competition in the office space market near the Cultural Precinct is mainly in the form of office space offered in Bay Street, and a limited offer in Church Street. In Bay Street, there has been recent development activity which has provided new double and triple storey commercial buildings. Offices are available for lease in these buildings with typical floor areas of 95m² to 135m². Older retail premises for lease in Bay Street offer smaller spaces with retail downstairs and office upstairs. Rents range from approximately $250/m² to $530/m², with the lower price applicable for older buildings and the higher price applicable for new commercial developments. Leases are ongoing and not available for short term. There are several premises for lease in Bay Street, particularly in the newly developed buildings. However, most office space on offer is too large and the lease agreement too inflexible for start-up businesses. A review of offices for lease, identified two spaces of approximately 35m² in St Andrews Street, and another of 50m² above retail space in Bay Street. Rents for these smaller spaces range from $360/m² to $500/m².

Where: The Brighton Courthouse as shown in the map in below. Its area is estimated at approximately 20m x 11m or 220m² (preliminary estimate subject to verification). Excluding common areas such as toilets and entrances, there appears to be approximately 193m² of floor space. Assuming that 10% is used for access corridors, it is estimated that approximately 174m² is available for offices. At sizes ranging from 12m² to 21m² (based on the sizes provided at Darebin Council’s ARTdecl incubator, The Courthouse could accommodate approximately 9 businesses, as well as a meeting and training room.

19 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

Figure 9: Map of Brighton Courthouse

Financials: This high-level costing is indicative, and prepared for the purpose of establishing whether the creative business incubator could be established as a commercial enterprise. At present Council collects minimal rental rent for the Courthouse, but a future commercial activity would need to be closer to market arrangements since it offers a market service in competition with (limited) private suppliers.

A significant investment to refurbish the Courthouse to provide a modern and attractive office space would be required. The space needs to appeal to creative businesses in the Brighton community, and likely include designer office furniture. Based on an indicative allowance of $2000/m² the initial setup costs are estimated at $440,000. This allowance would likely cover architectural/interior design advice, painting, reconfiguration of doors and interior walls if required, office furniture, as well as electronic equipment (mainly a projector and screens for training purposes, printers, scanning and photocopying machine). However, a detailed estimate based on designs and specification would be required.

20 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

The license fee for businesses would be comparable with low end of the private sector offer of $400/m² per annum or approximately $400 to $700/month for an office on a month to month basis. Total revenue at capacity is estimated at approximately $65,000 per annum. It is unlikely that there would be no vacancies through a calendar year, so to allow for businesses moving in and out, an occupancy rate of 90% is used for this assessment.

The revenue would be used to cover ongoing expenses and Council’s staff costs. Staff costs are incurred by the economic development officer who would be based at the incubator, possibly only on a part time basis.

Ongoing expenses would include cleaning, internet and wifi.

High level estimate of ongoing revenue and expenses are shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Overview of on-going annual revenue and cost items for a creative business incubator

Item Revenue Expense

Conclusion: The initial investment to refurbish the Courthouse to be an attractive creative business incubator is significant, but is necessary for the incubator to be a success. With the employment of an economic development officer on a part time basis, the incubator would still be feasible as a commercial undertaking. However, it appears that the investment in facility refurbishment would have a pay-back period of over 20 years under the assumptions outlined above and this length of pay-back period is not attractive for commercial activities.

5.2 Co-working facility

Objective: A co-working facility has to be an asset for the working population in Brighton, facilitate local business initiatives and collaboration, foster business creativity and innovation and reflect the precinct’s cultural aspirations and widening its circle of users as well as being financially viable.

21 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

Concept: A co-working facility could be accommodated in the Courthouse to meet demand from freelancers for comfortable working environments with the opportunity to socialise, collaborate and be inspired. The co-working facility would be a formal arrangement with the main purpose of providing shared office space catering to Bayside residents. It would have a number of work spaces (standard and quiet zones) as well as a meeting and a telephone area for conversation and socialising. Initially, the facility would be not be staffed, although it would be preferable if an office manager is on hand to assist co-workers. Access to the facility would be limited to extended office hours – from 7am to 7pm. Access would be provided by key-card. It would officer lockers for overnight document storage, printing and copying facilities connected to access card, and wifi. It would provide a shared kitchen facility. The facility would target creatives as well as a more established clientele. No dedicated parking would be offered; on street parking is available near the Courthouse. The facility would complement existing office rentals provided in Bay Street.

Competition: Competition in the office space market near the Cultural Precinct is mainly in the form of office space offered in Bay Street, and a limited offer in Church Street. In Bay Street, there has been recent development activity which has provided new double and triple storey commercial buildings. Offices are available for lease in these buildings with typical floor areas of 95m² to 135m². Older retail premises for lease in Bay Street offer smaller spaces with retail downstairs and office upstairs. Rents range from approximately $250/m² to $530/m², with the lower price applicable for older buildings and the higher price applicable for new commercial developments. Leases are ongoing and not available for short term. There are several premises for lease in Bay Street, particularly in the newly developed buildings. These buildings would also be able to accommodate a co-working facility, if this use is not selected for the Courthouse.

Private co-working offices are offered, but the supply in Brighton is very limited (only one identified). The photo on the left shows a studio office of 15m² (self-contained, lockable) with shared kitchen and courtyard priced at $150/week, with a larger space offered for $200/week.

Serviced offices are also available, but none in Brighton. The photo on the right shows a ‘quiet first floor room close to all amenities’ which is offered in Hampton for $80/day and $50/half day with no outgoings and wifi included.

In Black Rock, an office of graphic designers is offering the lease of desk space for a like-minded ‘creative’ person in their modern, fully furnished office. The

22 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au space available is estimated at 52m², and rent is $550/month on an on-going basis, excluding phone and internet. The lease agreement requires one month's rent in advance, one month's rent as bond and the tenant is required to have own insurances and public liability.

Where: The Brighton Courthouse. The Courthouse is estimated at approximately 20m x 11m or 220m² (preliminary estimate subject to verification).

A map of the Courthouse is shown in Figure 6 on the following page. Based on a desktop review of the plan without accurate measurements, the Courthouse appears to be able to accommodate the following:

• two small lockable offices in the spaces currently marked ‘Stores’ and ‘Office’; • shared meeting room in the cross-hatched space towards Carpenter Street; • large open plan work area with desks in the space marked ‘HALL’; • quiet work area with desks in the space marked ‘Counselling room’; and • lounge area and lockers for hire are envisaged in the walk area in the ‘HALL’ near the kitchen.

Figure 10: Map of Courthouse

23 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

Based on the Melbourne HUB membership model of one member per square metre of total floor area, it is estimated that the co-working facility would have capacity for a membership of between 100 and 160, excluding offices.

Booking and management of access cards would need to be organised. It is proposed that booking is managed via internet and access cards can be picked up at the library. Hotel-style swipe card system where access cards are only valid for the period for which they have been paid is proposed.

Financials: This high-level costing is indicative, and prepared for the purpose of establishing whether the co-working facility could be established as a commercial enterprise. At present Council collects a peppercorn rent for the Courthouse, but a future commercial activity would need to be closer to market arrangements since it offers a market service in competition with (limited) private suppliers.

There would be a significant investment to refurbish the Courthouse to provide a modern and attractive co-working space that appeal to creative individuals in the Brighton community and also to more established freelancers that are looking to move from home offices. Based on an indicative allowance of $2000/m² the initial setup costs are estimated at $440,000. This allowance is likely to cover architectural/interior design advice, painting, reconfiguration of doors and interior walls if required, office furniture, as well as computer and printing equipment (mainly screens, printer and photocopying machine). A detailed estimate would be required to confirm costs using detailed designs and specifications.

The membership fee for the co-working facility needs to be comparable to the private sector offer. As mentioned above under ‘concept’ a private lockable office space is available for $150/week for unlimited use, and HUB Melbourne charges $450/month for 3 to 5 days weekly and $650/month for unlimited use of a hot desk. A suitable price point would be around $100/week or $400/month for open plan desks, and $150/week for a lockable office. It is unlikely that the co-working facility would reach capacity membership, but uptake in other parts of Melbourne has been strong3 and likewise is expected here. It is assumed that the facility would have an average of 65 members on a yearly basis.

Ongoing expenses would include cleaning, office supplies, and wifi. The employment of an office manager would improve the functioning of the facility, and would be able to take on the management of access cards from the library. This role could possibly be combined with the market coordinator role. Even at a take-up rate of 50% of the membership capacity i.e. 65 members, the activity would be financially viable with an office manager included.

An estimate of annual revenue and costs are provided in Table 4 on the following page.

3 A new Darebin co-working facility signed up 15 members within two weeks of opening. 24 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

Table 4: Overview of on-going revenue and cost items for a co-working facility (per annum)

Item Revenue Expense

Conclusion: The initial investment to refurbish the Courthouse to be an attractive co- working facility is significant, but is necessary for the facility to be a success. With the employment of an office manager that can manage the facility on a daily basis and accept bookings or arrange access, the facility would still be a feasible commercial undertaking. It appears that the investment in facility refurbishment would have a pay-back period of approximately two years under the assumptions outlined above. It is recommended that this activity is selected for a detailed concept development and feasibility analysis.

5.3 Indoor and outdoor market

Objective: An indoor market in the Brighton Cultural needs to reflect the precinct’s cultural aspirations and achieve increased activation, widening the circle of users and further partnerships and collaboration as well as being financially viable.

Concept: A quarterly indoor market with a tight focus on items that appeal to the Brighton community. This is envisaged to be rare books (first editions, illustrated, 50s children’s books and the like), sheet music, musical instruments, personalised stationary, and French culinary delights. It is proposed that the market cooperates with the local schools for sale and exchange of instruments, and possibly to get school choirs and student musicians to provide music at the venue. First year it would run on Saturday or Sunday to test the concept further. Coffee cart, snacks, and possibly champagne would be available in the foyer. After 12months, revisit the concept and establish a set pattern. The market would require an experienced market organiser.

Competition: There is no competition in the immediate area, because Brighton is a difficult place to run a commercial market. Brighton Bazar was held in St Andrews Street in the St Andrews Church Hall. Held monthly on Saturdays, the last market was on the 9th August, from 9am – 3pm. It featured handmade designs, including jewellery, stationery, artwork, accessories and toys. There was also a sausage sizzle. However, this market has discontinued due to difficulty with achieving success with the market concept in Brighton in 25 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

spite of the organisers’ efforts to curate the offer to only high quality goods. For stallholders, the Bentleigh market is more attractive, with good visitation and reasonable fees to identify and contact potential stall holders, organise marketing, arrange setup, etc. As a result, the market concept has been refined from being an indoor and outdoor market to only being an indoor market with goods that are narrowly focused to appeal to the Brighton community.

Where: The market would be limited to indoors, using Town Hall auditorium. The function room is not available, as it is occupied by the Gallery. The capacity is estimated at 30 stalls (this was the capacity of the Kidz Stuff Pre-loved Childrenswear Market held in the Brighton Town Hall in May 2009). Stalls would be approximately 2m x 2m, which fits a trestle table and chair, and limited display. Access to facilities would be by use of the Town Hall toilets with entry from the Town Hall foyer.

The main hall is 12.04m x 20.77m, and would have a capacity of approximately 24-30 stalls of 2 x 2m (centre row backing each other + 8 along back wall excluding corners). The foyer is spacious (approx. 6m x 21m) and could possibly accommodate food vendors e.g. coffee cart, healthy snacks, homemade cakes & biscuits. If serving of alcohol is permitted, include a champagne bar.

26 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

According to Council’s facility booking website, there are five trestle tables are available at the Town Hall. However, it would be useful if trestle tables are part of hall hire and another 25 or so trestle tables are acquired. Note that the hall configuration is indicative only and would need to be tested prior to holding any market.

Figure 11 below provides an indicative calendar of activities for 2015. It shows a proposed focus on activities that are scheduled to fit with the school year.

Figure 11: Indicative Calendar for 2015

Month Date Market Organiser

February Saturday Books, writing and music market – similar to Council Fed Square’s weekly book market. Possibly appointed cooperate with Fed Square for them to organiser organise an offspring market. Opportune time for students to purchase musical instruments.

May Sunday Books, writing and music market As above

July Sunday Books, writing and music market As above

November Saturday Books, writing and music market. Opportune As above time for students to sell unwanted musical instruments – end of year performances as entertainment by schools.

Financials: Revenue is estimated to originate from a proposed gold coin donation for market hall entry, as well as stallholder fees of $50 in the first year, increasing to $75 - $100 subsequently depending on success of market. Note that these proposed fees are indicative and fees vary quite significantly between markets and appear to range from $30 to $175 per stall. It is envisaged that the fee structure would be refined by the market organiser.

The tasks that it is envisaged that the market organiser would undertake include one-off tasks to establish the market, on-going tasks that would be required for every market.

Tasks to establish the market include:

- work out the exact configuration and stall capacity of the hall and foyer - organise the purchase of additional trestle tables, their delivery and storage - contact potential stallholders – enough to meet demand at the first market

27 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

- develop or organise the development of a webpage for market description, booking and payment of stalls - set up a market facebook page - list the market broadly on a number of websites - contact parents’ groups and work with the schools about them running a music instrument sale/exchange stall - contact schools to get them involved to provide the entertainment.

The week before a market the organiser would have to follow up with stallholders to make sure that their plans haven’t changed (no refund, fill empty stalls), organise and email out the schedule for setup (stallholders get a timeslot for when they have to be there). The organiser also has to organise the practicals of rubbish bins, cleaning, volunteer staff if any, entertainment and music.

On the day the organiser has to be at the Town Hall early in the morning to mark out stalls and assist with setting up tables, and guide stallholders to allocated tables. Collect or arrange to have donations collected from visitors. Deal with any issues that arise, and of course be the last person to leave.

Costs would include hall cleaning, marketing (including internet listings, notice in local paper & Bayside Council newsletter, fliers at local schools), fees to a market organiser (possibly on a freelance contract), and miscellaneous.

There would likely be foregone income for hall hire in summer months. Furthermore, it is likely that there would be a requirement for other market staff – ideally by a corps of volunteers or Council workers. A requirement for a one-off purchase of 25 additional trestle tables to augment the existing tables at the Town Hall is estimated to cost $1,750.

Table 5 below provides an overview of the revenue and costs per market. It is assumed that there would be four markets annually.

Table 5: Overview of on-going revenue and cost items for an indoor market

Item Revenue Expense

Indoor stallholder revenue (30 stalls) $1,500 Market visitor revenue ? Foregone income for hall hire (full day) $865¹ Market organiser per market $2,500 Hall cleaning $200 Marketing and miscellaneous $450 Total $1,500 + visitor entry $4,015 Note: 1) limited hall hire in winter, only applicable for summer markets

28 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

The cost items are not dependant on the success or attendance at the market. Attendance is difficult to estimate as this would vary between markets and depend on the marketing of the event. With a gold coin donation of between $1 and $2 per person, the market would need to achieve visitation levels that are in excess of 1,680 for summer markets and 1,100 for winter markets. This is based on an average gold coin donation of $1.50 per person, the initial low stallholder fee of $50, and takes the foregone hall hire for summer months into account. The calculation excludes the initial purchase of additional trestle tables.

Conclusion: A market would achieve activation of the Brighton Cultural Precinct but would require a significant marketing effort to attract stallholders and visitors to be financially viable. The financial impact of having to employ a market organiser to start up a new market is the cost key factor. The Brighton area is considered too challenging for a private operator to be interested in setting up a market without financial support. If the market could be established and managed by a group associated with music programs (or other programs) at the schools, the market could be financially viable from the outset.

29 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au

6 Compatibility of Options and Conclusion

Under the present scenario, both the creative business incubator and the co-working facility would be using the whole Courthouse building. Therefore only one of these activities can be pursued. It is proposed that the co-working facility and the indoor market activities are selected for further study/implementation. Some of the elements of the creative business incubator can easily be incorporated into the co-working facility in that the Courthouse already has two spaces that could be licensed as separate offices. The incubator aspect could be achieved if these offices are reserved for start-up businesses in creative industries and if they are provided with mentoring and business assistance from off-site, i.e. from Council’s economic development unit.

30 | Page www.mattersmore.com.au