City of Darwin responds to new Civic Centre accusations

Hundreds are calling for a $150m development to be stopped, however the City of Darwin says the ambitious project was taken to the community more than two years ago.

Chief executive Simone Saunders, Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis and DCOH managing director Shane Dignan at the announcement of the new civic centre. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Hundreds of residents are calling for a $150m development to be stopped, but the City of Darwin claims the ambitious project was taken to the community more than two years ago.

In November, the City of Darwin council voted unanimously in support of a $150m project to build a new civic centre, with Lord Mayor Kon Vatskalis revealing concept drawings for the 21-storey building.

The building, which will be developed by local company DCOH, will consist of five floors of carparking, a new library, and a function space, as well as public meeting rooms and community rooms.

Additionally, the top 10 levels of the building will be designated as commercial office space and given to DCOH.

However, the proposal, which is yet to be approved by the Development Consent Authority, has drawn the ire of some locals, who have expressed concern regarding the decision-making process behind the project and the integrity of the historic land which would receive a makeover.

A mock up of the proposed Darwin Civic Centre.

In early January, a petition calling for the City of Darwin to halt the project has since gained more than 300 signatures.

The petition said the building proposal was “unnecessary and detrimental”, claiming “ample” pre-existing office space available in Darwin made the development redundant.

Further, the petition claimed the City of Darwin had failed to consult the community regarding the construction of the building, the use of ratepayers’ money for the project, the involvement of a private developer in partially owning the building on public land and failing to disclose the terms of the commercial deal between the private developer and the City of Darwin.

“Transparency and accountability must be prioritised in decisions that affect our city’s future and the use of public resources,” the petition stated.

In response, a City of Darwin spokesperson told this masthead the community had been consulted years ago.

“City of Darwin undertook a community and stakeholder engagement process in 2022, input from which has been used to develop the proposed development of the new Civic Centre’s functional design brief.”

The longstanding Darwin Civic Centre, which council hope to vacate in favour of the new building proposal. Picture: Country Solar NT

Asked if council had invited tenders for the building contract, the spokesperson said invitations to apply for the contract were pushed nationwide.

“City of Darwin sought Expressions of Interest from prospective partners to deliver the redevelopment of the Civic Centre, including opportunities for private development and investment in the Darwin’s city centre, in December 2023,” she said.

“The EOI was supported by a national advertising and media campaign, and we engaged an independent probity officer to oversee the procurement process.”

With the DCA expected to make a decision in mid-February, 2025, the spokesperson said council was optimistic the building would value-add to the city.

“The new Civic Centre development will be an inviting place for the people of Darwin and the development will transform the surrounding area into a welcoming precinct with a cool, green and open community plaza,” she said.

“The plaza will have direct linkages to the city centre; the Darwin Waterfront, the new State Square and the new CDU University city campus connecting along Cavenagh Street and will give prominence to Galamarrma, the Tree of Knowledge. to ensure it is protected.”

Originally published as City of Darwin responds to new Civic Centre accusations