Coffs Harbour Entertainment Venue (CHEV) Scoping Study

The ideal Coffs Harbour Entertainment Venue (CHEV) has been revealed to be a multi-functional hub that could hold a wide variety of performances and events including music, eisteddfods, dance, comedy, theatre, movies, conferences, expos and more.

An outline of the size and community requirements the CHEV would need to meet were contained in the first stage of a Scoping Study for the project – The Functional Brief - which was adopted at the 23 September 2021 Council Meeting.

A venue of this size and capacity would ensure it could attract a wide range of touring acts, accommodate special local performances and provide reasonable economic returns.

Developed through consultation with industry experts and potential users, the Functional Brief recommends a minimum size of 2,500 square metres and a flexible performance space with raked seating for up to 700 people, or 820 in both standing and seating format.

Now that the venue uses and size has been established, the Scoping Study can move to the next stage to confirm an appropriate location in the City Centre.

The Functional Brief can be downloaded from the Document Library to understand industry feedback, examples of similar regional case studies, and what this means for the venue.

Click on the video below for an overview of the Functional Brief recommendations and examples of future uses.

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The first phase of the Study is underway with industry stakeholders involved in developing a “Preliminary Functional Brief”.

The Project team are consulting with a range of community performance and cultural groups as well as local and national promoters and producers.

This Functional Brief is a key piece of work that scopes the design and size of spaces for a complete range of entertainment and social experiences. This includes all aspects of the venue from the entrance to foyers, amenities, bars and ancillary spaces, the performance spaces as well as artists and technical staff backstage.

Council has appointed a multi-disciplinary team made up of Hawkridge Entertainment Services, Woolgoolga-based Locale Consulting and internationally renowned architects Scott Carver, after a month-long tender process.

This team has a strong track record of cultural infrastructure feasibility studies, as well as designing, building and managing live music and arts venues and know what makes a successful entertainment venue work.

They have excellent networks with a range of producers, promoters, venue managers and more recently with the Coffs Harbour community on performing arts spaces and facility site studies.

The Issues and Options Paper for Performing Arts Space (Indoor and Outdoor) was adopted by Council on 10 September 2020. The Draft Paper was open for public exhibition period between December 2019 - February 2020.

This Paper (included in this page's Document Library) provides an assessment of current performance and entertainment spaces / venues in the LGA and includes information about venue requirements, including actions and opportunities to meet current and future demand.

The key finding within this Paper is that there is an established need, including strong stakeholder and community support to construct an Indoor Performing Arts Centre with a capacity between 600-1000 seats.

The construction of a new indoor venue of this size requires further analysis, including a greater understanding of the operational costs to Council. At this Council Meeting, Councillors agreed to progress a study to scope the venue requirements, building footprint, determine the most suitable location within the City Centre and the operational and funding strategy.