Page 3362 - Week 09 - Thursday, 22 August 2019
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MR RAMSAY: I thank Ms Cheyne for the supplementary question. When the expansion of the Belconnen Arts Centre is complete the centre will have doubled in size. The expansion will include a flexible theatre space, a new dance and rehearsal studio, new gallery spaces, resident company offices, a cafe and catering facilities. This will transform the Belconnen Arts Centre into a true multi-arts hub, with purpose built spaces for the development and the performance of dance, theatre and music, as well as an ongoing commitment to the visual arts and a host of other creative activities.
In recognition of the increasing size and capacity of the BAC the government allocated in last year’s budget an additional $700,000 over two years to support innovative approaches to exhibitions and public programming during and immediately following the construction of stage 2. I can report that the BAC is still hosting some stunning and well-attended exhibitions, highly professional dance performances and a huge variety of arts workshops even during this tricky time of transition.
The expansion of the BAC will be of significant benefit to Belconnen and also to the broader arts sector across Canberra. The centre is an important key arts organisation and provides exhibition, performance and workshop and rehearsal space for Canberra artists across a wide range of media and art forms. Its community programs are also global best practice for inclusiveness and accessibility.
The completion of the facility will allow the BAC to continue to grow to meet unmet demand for rehearsal, performance, exhibition and event space and will provide an important community hub for the growing Belconnen town centre.
MR GUPTA: Can the minister please advise how the stage 2 expansion will connect to other government investments in Belconnen?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Mr Gupta for the supplementary question. The Belconnen Arts Centre sits at a key lakefront location in the Belconnen town centre on Lake Ginninderra, which is itself a hugely popular area for walking, cycling and other forms of recreation and exercise. Until now there has been a missing link in the otherwise excellent shared path that runs all the way around the shoreline, which means that runners, walkers and cyclists need to take an awkward detour up to the crowded Emu Bank footpath.
I am pleased that in the 2018-19 budget the ACT government announced that there would be funding for a new boardwalk that will join up the shared path where it currently ends to the east of the BAC with the public parkland at Emu Inlet to the north. That is the area where Floriade in the Suburbs will soon be held in Belconnen. This will allow full, seamless circumnavigation of the lake on a shared path for recreational use and will better integrate the BAC with the adjacent commercial precinct, which includes restaurants, bars, cafes and wellness services. It will provide a defined and attractive water’s edge in harmony with the arts centre’s expansion and aesthetic.
artsACT is working closely with Transport Canberra and City Services on the design of the foreshore path link. Preliminary design is being finalised, detailed design is
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