Canberra library could be relocated in plan to develop arts precinct

Canberra’s Civic Library could be relocated amid plans for a redevelopment of the local arts and cultural precinct Civic Square, reports the Canberra Times.

The ACT City Renewal Authority is calling for tenders to develop a plan to redevelop and transform the precinct, calling the present state of Civic Square ‘a missed opportunity’.

The precinct currently houses Civic Library, the Canberra Theatre Centre and Playhouse, the Canberra Museum and Gallery, the ACT Legislative Assembly and a government office block, as well as two government carparks—one earmarked for mixed-use development, and the other set aside for a future convention centre.

The tender document calls for a review of the precinct’s existing uses, and is looking for ways to activate the ground-floor space of adjacent buildings, which could include changes to Civic Library and parts of the Canberra Museum and Gallery building.

Malcolm Snow, chief executive of the City Renewal Authority, said that a decision was yet to be made about whether the library would be moved.

‘The aim of the project is to promote uses of the precinct that contribute to it being a vibrant and active cultural precinct,’ said Snow.

The City Renewal Authority believes the government will likely engage a consultant to develop a business case for the redevelopment early next financial year.

Category: Library news