Shire may dump $73m cultural centre

THE Surf Coast Shire council may dump its multi-million dollar proposal for the Surf Coast Cultural Centre (SCCC), with the project’s soaring cost cited as a major factor.

At their meeting tomorrow night, officers will recommend the council spend a much smaller amount on less ambitious, separate works in the Surf City precinct.

The SCCC will expand the existing Torquay Library, Australian National Surf Museum (ANSM) and Visitor Information Centre as well as add new spaces.

According to its business case, released in February 2022, the centre was expected to attract tens of thousands more visitors and support more than 800 direct and indirect jobs.

The original concept had an cost estimate in 2021 of $33.2 million for stage one and $20.4 million for Stage 2 for a total of $53.6 million, but the officers’ report states the SCCC will now cost $73.1 million: $45.2 million for stage one and $27.9 million for stage 2.

“The benefit cost ratio is now marginal,” the report stated.

“This significant increase in cost estimates means the SCCC project in its current form does not appear to be financially attainable in the next few years.”

There is $8.92 million in developer and shire contributions tied to the development of an upgraded or new library “that cannot be used for any other purpose” that the shire intends to use as its contribution towards the SCCC.

The shortfall was to be made up via grants, but all six of the shire’s applications since 2021 to bridge the gap – the Growing Suburbs Fund (twice), Regional Tourism Infrastructure Fund, Living Libraries (twice) and the Building Better Regions Fund – have been unsuccessful.

Officers note “the ‘Do Nothing’ approach is not a plausible option” for the Surf City precinct, as the 1980s-era Torquay Library is 68 per cent smaller than the recommended industry benchmark for the existing population of Torquay and Jan Juc – presently 380sqm, it should be at least 1,200sqm and preferably 1,600sqm.

While the Torquay Visitor Centre had a $140,000 refurbishment in 2015, the ANSM, which is much larger, has had no refurbishment since 1993.

Instead of the $73.1 million spend, officers propose the council “cease pursuing the concept of a single, integrated facility and to instead focus on discrete ANSM and library projects of a lesser scale and cost which are still capable of operating in an integrated fashion with other facilities in a precinct”.

This would comprise $18.37 million in works, including $1.5 million in the coming 2026-27 budget to refurbish the ANSM and extend its life by 30 years; and an estimated $15 million to “fund a suitable library and seek other funding sources to bridge the expected shortfall”.

The report also states the shire’s recent investment of $1.87 million to change the former Sports and Recreation Centre at Surf City into the Multi-Arts Centre “likely negates the need to build the $27.9 million Stage 2 gallery and theatre”.