The Coffs Harbour cultural and civic space, named Yarrila Place, will combine arts, people, technology and culture to create a vibrant community hub.
It is designed to transform our library, museum and gallery into spaces more suited to the Coffs Harbour region's growing role as regional city and tourist destination. The new building will bring council administration together in one building, including customer service, council chambers and administration offices. There will also be a cafe and bookable community meeting and working spaces.
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What does the new building offer?
In the new building our library, museum and gallery will have 2.5 to 3 times the space they currently have, with shared spaces and the opportunity to collaborate. The current Harry Bailey Memorial Library is only 40% of the size recommended by the State Library. This means our community does not have access to enough computers, study spaces, meeting rooms, quiet spaces, resources and books.
Our new library will meet State Library guidelines, providing access to books, magazines, personal computers and free wi-fi, as well as a digital media studio, a maker space, a place for young adults to study, play and hang out, and meeting and study rooms for the general public.
Yarrila Place will also bring together the administration, customer service and decision-making functions of Council into a single building to access the benefits of co-locating civic and cultural services.
What are the benefits?
Our new cultural facilities will be for people of all ages and backgrounds and will help to make sure there is equitable access to safe, inclusive public spaces as well as educational and technological resources for Coffs Harbour residents.
Better cultural facilities will attract national quality exhibitions, workshops and events to Coffs Harbour that our current facilities cannot support due to lack of space and facilities. This is exciting news for both the residents of Coffs Harbour and for the people who visit our beautiful city, providing more things to do, see and experience.
The new building will bring our city to life, with studies showing that well-designed cultural facilities such as libraries, museums and art galleries contribute to regional growth by increasing the attractiveness and liveability of an area, as well as supporting business investment in the surrounding areas. When cultural and civic facilities are placed together in a city's central location, they not only activate each other, they breathe life into the whole area.
The construction and commissioning phase (2021-2023) is expected to generate around 555 direct and flow on jobs including 358 local jobs, injecting $33.3 million dollars into the local economy. When in operation, the new building is expected to generate around $1.8 million per year in increased tourism.
Where is it?
Yarrila Place will be located right in the heart of Coffs Harbour, on Gordon Street, in easy reach of public transport and just minutes’ walk from CBD parking.
What’s happening with the project? Late last year, the development application for the CCS Project was approved by the State Government, and the demolition of Gordon Street site was completed.
The project team has spent most of 2020 working on the detailed design for the building, elaborating and expanding the schematic design completed in 2019. Detailed design up until 80% has now been completed, with the final 20% to be completed during construction.
As part of this process, Lipman, the Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) builder, who have been assisting the project team with buildability and pricing advice, have submitted their construction offer, which is currently being validated by key members of the project team. Council expects to consider Lipman’s offer in early 2021.
Why are we so excited? This project is an important piece of the puzzle for Coffs Harbour: a major regional infrastructure project at the right time and in the right place. The project represents a place for the community to come together, connecting our past, present and future in a way that supports the growth and progress of our beautiful city and surrounding areas.
Need more information?
You can now fly-through Coffs Harbour’s new Cultural and Civic Space with BVN Architects now at the stage to give the community a better look inside. The fly-through video highlights the project's design, focusing on how the community will experience the inside of the building on the various levels.
This is the first in a video series where we will hear more about the Cultural and Civic Space from a number of user perspectives. In our first episode we hear from the Architect, the Artist and the Librarian. Featuring Matthew Blair, Lead Architect for the project, Ash Frost, Coffs Harbour Regional Museum and Gallery Program Coordinator, and Judy Atkinson, our much loved children’s librarian at Coffs Harbour libraries. Each of them outline their vision, the creative scope and community benefits that will flow from the Cultural and Civic Space.
