New tenants reveal vision for former Deep Sea Fishing Club site in Coffs Harbour
The former Deep Sea Fishing Club will be brought back to life by Christmas as the director of the company taking on the lease reveals what’s in store.
Coffs Harbour
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Coffs Harbour’s most prized waterfront venue will be brought back to life by Christmas, with the newly announced tenants revealing just what’s in store for the former Deep Sea Fishing Club site.
Coffs Harbour City Council sought expressions of interest for the jetty site earlier this year and of the three submissions considered, it was announced on Tuesday that a licence agreement had been made with Seaside Restaurants and Amplify Events.
It will be a one-year lease with the potential for two further one year extensions, depending on the timing of the state government’s redevelopment of the jetty foreshores.
Seaside Restaurants operate successful restaurants in Byron Bay and Noosa, including Bang Bang Byron Bay, Treehouse on Belongil and Bang Bang Noosa.
Amplify Events has been involved in hundreds of events over the past 15 years, including Splendour in the Grass.
In Coffs Harbour, they most recently were involved in the Hell on High Water festival which was held at the jetty site earlier this year.
The expressions of interest process drew the ire of the previous tenants, Regional Ethical Development Community Pty Ltd, who had been operating the site as live music venue Red-C since 2018.
There were concerns that the closure of Red-C would spell the end for live music at the jetty site – but director of Amplify Events, Dave Mansfield, said the Coffs-based team was “100 per cent” dedicated to live music.
Mr Mansfield said he had more than 25 years experience in the events industry and was part of the BlackLight Collective, a social enterprise looking to champion culture and talent in the local area.
He said the vision for the site was to create a restaurant and entertainment venue that was accessible for all residents, with a focus on local produce and producers.
The team is also looking to create a platform for artists by incorporating an art gallery at the site, and will be reaching out to groups to get involved.
“We love live music, entertainment and events but it goes beyond just that,” he said.
“There’s so much space in the venue, and so much potential for uses,” Mr Mansfield said.
“The vision is to create a completely welcoming and accessible space for all residents of Coffs. Our dream is to make it the jewel in the crown of Coffs Harbour.”
While the restaurant group is based in Northern NSW, Mr Mansfield said the team operating the venue would all be locals and they would soon be looking to hire.
His company’s bid for the site included a letter of support from TAFE NSW, who they will be partnering with to offer workplace learning opportunities and pathways to employment.
Mr Mansfield said his team had been facing some challenges with resources, particularly after hail storms last week, but would be looking to open ahead of Christmas and the summer holidays – just in time for the easing of lockdown restrictions.
“It’s been an extremely difficult time for events, hospitality and all businesses in general but hopefully we are navigating our way out of it,” Mr Mansfield said.
“It’s been a dire time for events - we’ve had plenty of things planned in Coffs that just couldn’t go ahead.”
He said the short lease was not ideal but he hoped they would be able to extend their stay for as long as possible.
“We would loved to have signed a longer lease and potentially invest more money and refurbish,” he said.
“To be honest it’s out of our hands, but that being said we endeavour to be there for as long as we can be and add value to the area.”
He said he was excited about the potential of the venture.
“We want to try and make the venue a home to all arts and culture, but in a casual setting,” he said.
“There’s not many venues in the region where you can sit and have a beer and look at the ocean.
“That in itself is unreal.”
It is expected the tenure will start early next month.
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