‘It’s the right decision’: Council says 58 year-old civic centre at end of life and time to go
City of Darwin Councillor Mick Palmer is confident the community will be happy with Darwin’s new civic centre which is replacing a building that was built in 1967. Ready why.
Northern Territory
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City of Darwin Councillor Mick Palmer has been around politics long enough to know that if you are worried about something, you best not do it.
That’s why he says he is not fearful of a voter backlash over the City of Darwin’s new civic centre project.
The Lyons Ward councillor, who is also the acting Lord Mayor, lives across the road from where the $150 million, 20 storey development will take place.
“We have a role to lead the community and you have to do the best thing by the community and the best thing by the community is what has been announced … it’s the right decision,” he said.
“I have had a lot of positive feedback, but I know there is a cohort out there, who for commercial reasons seem to be vehemently opposed to it.
“However aside from that most are supportive of it and what the precinct can deliver for Darwin going forward.”
Mr Palmer refutes claims from those who have accused Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis of wanting the building to be his legacy for Darwin.
“This building is not a legacy statement for the Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis,” Mr Palmer said.
“The building is something that was decided by council after a very lengthy process.”
Mr Palmer said with the current civic centre being built in 1967 it had come to its end of life.
“Look, we all needed to be assured that this was the best way forward in terms of not refurbishing our existing building and the ability of it to meet the current 2025 building and safety codes,” he said.
“The current council building was built in 1967 so the new building is needed.
“We have addressed the benefit the new building provides to the precinct, council staff and Darwin.
“This place has been in some state of disrepair for a number of years and this will provide a good, safe working environment.”
City of Darwin chief executive officer Simone Saunders echoed Mr Palmer’s sentiments and said the joint partnership with DCOH would deliver the A-Grade building needed.
“There is five per cent of A Grade property in town,” Ms Saunders said.
“Running costs for the current building are around $1.5m a year to keep it operational … it is a very expensive building to operate.
“The new building will be more environmentally efficient and cheaper to run.
“One of the challenges with the current building is that we have a price tag of around $19 million over the next five years just to keep it operational.
“Financially it is much better to have the new development now.”
Ms Saunders said the new civic centre would be a community building.
“It is a $77 million project for City of Darwin which includes $30 million being spent on public carparking and then the balance on the community facilities and also the office facilities,” she said.
“The DCOH commercial floors are going to be built, owned and operated separately by them and there is no contribution by the City of Darwin to those floors.
“The whole project is worth about $150 million.
“So you will see private investment of nearly $80 million.
“What we are seeing from an economic development perspective is private and public sector investment is critical for the Territory to move forward and we will likely see more of these joint developments.
“The benefit for both parties in building this building is that we get to defray costs of the foundations, both parties can share that, they can share the common areas.
“The nice mix for this new Civic Centre is that downstairs we have 400 square metres of community/commercial space. In there we will work with various tenants to activate the whole square.”
Ms Saunders said elsewhere the new civic centre would have community space, a larger library, modern council chambers, a function centre and office floors for City of Darwin staff.
“There are three floors of open plan offices and four floors of carparking – 410 public carparks. The carparking will generate revenue back to the City of Darwin,” Ms Saunders said.
“Ground level there will be new public facilities, changing places, and end of trip facilities and also the opportunity for community areas or community based businesses to be in the precinct.
“We know when we have the Darwin Festival that we are short of carparking so the new development will improve on that.
“It will allow us to open up civic park and the Tree of Knowledge, with the civic plaza and opening up the flow into Cavanagh Street.”
Ms Saunders acknowledged there were critics of the project but said there had been full probity run over all the processes with the project making sure all legislative requirements were met.
Ms Saunders said what happened to the current civic centre site would involve community consultation and what they thought should happen.
“It may involve keeping some of the building facade … there will be new plans on how to open up the civic plaza and how it links more broadly with civic park and the whole area,” she said.
“That consultation will happen in about 12 to 18 months time.
“In terms of the whole precinct this new development will enhance this precinct and link with State Square.
“For our area to be able to give the Tree of Knowledge more green space it will double the size. The precinct creates an exciting opportunity to reinvigorate the civic park and civic centre space.
“You’ll have a new council library, there will be the State Square art gallery and it links to the wharf where you will have the Larrakia Cultural Centre, the hospitality hub and harbour precinct and into the mall and then the Esplanade, so huge opportunities.
“It links in all these areas and provides new infrastructure to add to Darwin’s liveability.”
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Originally published as ‘It’s the right decision’: Council says 58 year-old civic centre at end of life and time to go
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