The Northern Midlands councillors have decided to sell the town hall in Campbell Town, a fate delivered at their meeting on 17 May. [1] The transcript of the debate is also included below. [2]
Andrew McCullagh has declared on Facebook that an appeal will be lodged with the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal. [3] I will apply to be party to the appeal, an option available to anyone who made a representation.
Following the council decision, a way to keep the town hall in public hands has come to mind.
There is no public art gallery in the Northern Midlands, so could the town hall be transformed into one?
Considering how Campbell Town is in the heart of the rural lands of Tasmania, why not have a rural and regional art gallery based in the hall?
The outline of this proposal will be explored in another article.
Anyone who agrees that this is the way to keep the town hall in public hands are invited to a meeting to explore how this can happen:
Community Meeting
Sunday 6 June, Town Hall, Campbell Town
Due to Covid-19 restrictions, attendance will need to be limited to 78. Anyone interested in attending will need to book a place – [email protected]
Anyone unable to attend, can ask to be on the mailing list to receive reports and announcements.
At present the building is not heritage listed, either by the council or the Tasmanian Government.
I believe that this iconic building should be included in the Tasmanian Heritage Register, to ensure that it is adequately protected from any development that could degrade it.
There was once a similar town hall in Bellerive, which was sold and demolished.
As history frequently repeats itself, there are some lessons we need to learn from, or one day see a pile of rubble where a town hall once stood as the heart of a town.
When church properties in Cressy were mooted for sale in 2018, the council was exceptionally proactive in pursuing their heritage listing. [4]
Why is the council so uninterested in the heritage values of the town hall?
Heritage was raised in my representation, but the matter was not discussed in the debate. [5]
It is a simple fact in real estate that heritage listing could hinder sales potential, especially if the future use is to be commercial.
The council officers reported: “Council records do not show the hall has been investigated for heritage listing.” [5] Why was the council so proactive with church properties in Cressy, but so blind to the heritage potential of the town hall in Campbell Town?
Looking into the background leading up to the council decision to sell, an odd detail came to light in a 2014 consultant’s report for the new multifunction facility at the sports ground, where Jeff McClintock wrote:
“Since the refurbishment of the ground floor of the Town Hall (including incorporating the museum), there is no public space available in Campbell Town suitable for hosting large community functions (of up to 100-120 people seated at tables).” [6]
Did the council break the town hall as a venue for meeting functions?
Whether this happened by poor planning, or on purpose, the council appeared to be rather keen on winning a share of the meeting market, now delivered at the new facilities, where people come from north and south to meet, whether private enterprise or government.
With a bold business approach, Cr Polley hammered hard the point that the costs of maintaining the town hall would be way too high: “it’s going to cost hundreds of thousands to do it up, and continue maintaining it for little use.” [2]
Anyone who knows the town hall may judge it to be a pretty solid building, and find it hard to imagine what all that money would be needed for.
Now having broken the town hall, and pressed on to a shiny new facility at the sports ground, has the council been neglecting maintenance responsibilities? A builder’s report would reveal the needs of the building, but none was tabled at the council meeting as evidence.
We may also wonder why Cr Goninon declared a pecuniary interest in the Town Hall and left the meeting. [1&2] Cr Goninon is a prominent businessman, so without any reasons being revealed, we can but wonder. [7]
Is there a party waiting in the wings to buy the property at a fire sale price, because according to Cr Polley, the restoration cost will be so high? How hard did the council try to find ways to continue community use of the town hall?
Cr Davis also declared: “We called for expressions of interest in 2019. We didn’t get anything appropriate at the time, expressions of interest. It’s a commitment that Council has foreshadowed for quite some time. We cannot continue to maintain that facility, as well as the new one, so nobody can say it was a surprise.” [2]
It appears that the only game in town was to sell the town hall, revealed in the minutes of the council meeting of 24 June 2019: “investigate the process for sale of the property and seek expressions of interest for further consideration by Council.” [8]
Cr Davis slammed the ace on the table when declaring: “Council made the decision to sell the hall when they committed to build the new facility.” [2]
So clearly, the decision to sell the town hall is a decade old, with no thought for how the town hall could continue to serve the community being considered.
Faced with a council working vigorously for a commercial outcome for over a decade, a rather creative vision will be needed to save the town hall.
Kim Peart is a long-time resident of Ross, a writer, a keen afficionado of Second Life, and the founder of Space Pioneers.
NOTE ….. Research assistance by Dr Jennifer Bolton
REFERENCES
[1] Northern Midlands Council meeting minutes, 17 May 2021
https://www.northernmidlands.
Cr Goninon declared an interest in item GOV 10, signed the register and left the meeting at 5.24pm.
TOWN HALL – RECOMMENDATION
That Council:
• i) notes the objections received; and
• ii) determines to sell / retain the Town Hall in Campbell Town; and
• iii) notifies parties who lodged the objections within 7 days of this decision.
DECISION
Cr Polley/Cr Davis
That Council:
• i) notes the objections received; and
• ii) determines to sell the Town Hall in Campbell Town; and
• iii) notifies parties who lodged the objections within 7 days of this decision.
Voting for the motion:
Mayor Knowles, Cr Adams, Cr Calvert, Cr Davis, Cr Goss, Cr Polley
Voting against the motion: Cr Brooks, Cr Lambert
Carried
Cr Goninon returned to the meeting at 5.34pm.
[2] Northern Midlands Council meeting ….. Transcript of the debate
17 May 2021
https://www.northernmidlands.
Cr Polley: I move the recommendation that we sell the hall, and that we notify. The reason that I move it, is because we built a new hall, and a new facility, which is being utilised very very well, including the grounds, constantly with people from around the State, sports people using the ground. I believe that long term it’s best for the town, particularly for employment. We already know there’s been interest expressed around the community about different things to use it for, mainly commercial things, and I think it’s an ideal opportunity to do hopefully what has happened down at Oatlands, not necessarily the same thing that happened at Oatlands. All of a sudden there’s been a huge expansion there at the old mill, because somebody has come along with a great new idea, and hopefully something will happen like this. We have to provide for the future, because there’s going to come a time one day when that town will be by-passed. It’s the only town on the national highway in Tasmania that hasn’t been, and to my knowledge the only one on the national highway in Australia that hasn’t been, and that’s great. I’d like to see it remain that way. But, I think we’ve really got to build the base of potential employment within the town, and I think this building, and also, if we retain it, it’s going to cost hundreds of thousands to do it up, and continue maintaining it for little use. People just aren’t using it. They’re using the other one. And there is a problem with the market. Somebody said we should keep it, because there’s a market there once a month. Well, they can use the other hall for a market. Well, they could go up there and use the veranda and the internal parts of the hall. Also, and there’s better parking at the new one. That’s the reason I support.Cr Davis: Council made the decision to sell the hall when they committed to build the new facility. We called for expressions of interest in 2019. We didn’t get anything appropriate at the time, expressions of interest. It’s a commitment that Council has foreshadowed for quite some time. We cannot continue to maintain that facility, as well as the new one, so nobody can say it was a surprise.
Cr Brooks: I agree with that. I’m just worried that, I still support selling the hall, but I don’t want to see those user groups that are using the hall, not use the new facility, and I don’t know why they’re not using the new facility. Whether it’s they can’t afford the new facility, or they’re just not using it for some other reason. I don’t want to sell the hall out from under some user groups that genuinely can’t afford to use that new facility. I’d like to ask Ms Bricknell if those user groups that are using the old hall, are they able to use the new hall, and would they be charged for a market. It’s alright to say, have the market there, but do they get charged to have the market there. Some of these user groups in these country towns can’t afford to pay the high fees we need to charge to pay for this building, and I know that the facility is being used a lot, but I’m afraid I think it’s getting used by a lot of people outside the community, for government conferences, and all the rest of it, but I’m not sure if the community of Campbell Town are really using that facility.
Ms Maree Bricknell: I’m sure a lot of people from Campbell Town are using it, and they do get a rebate of 25% for fees, if they are local. There is an incentive there for them to use it. As far as the hall, they do for the market, they do pay a certain amount for the stall, I think it is, so there’s no reason why we couldn’t use the same charging regime with the other facility as well, amount per stall.
Cr Calver: I think there are other options in Campbell Town. There’s the Show Grounds up there. There’s the Girl Guides hall sitting there doing nothing, next to King Street, also suitable for market. So, there are other options.
Unknown: So, the beauty of the market at the Town Hall is it’s closeness to the CBD area.
Cr Calvert: But both those ones I’ve suggested would …..
Cr Lambert: I have a similar concern to Cr Brooks. I think, given the petition where there was, I know there were 349, but I believe there was a figure of 70 to 80 locals. Is that the figure that was?
Unknown: 69 I think.
Cr Lambert: 69, 70, locals who expressed concern about selling the hall. 60 or 70 people, 60 or 70 families as well, people who are not happy to see the hall go, and I think, I know this is a situation that a lot of Councils and communities are going to face over time, but I think, with that amount of concern in the town, I’m not sure I can support the sale of the Town Hall, particularly with what Cr Brooks has added into that equation as well.
Unknown: Can I just add to that initially when we first, there were two massive public meetings there. They were held in the hall, and it was made quite clear that if the new facility was built, they would not be duplicated by doing up the hall ….. that was made quite clear.
Cr Polley: Just a rough instrument, to restore and paint that hall we’re talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars. We can’t afford it. If we’re going to keep our rates down, we didn’t put the rates up last time. We know if we want to …. we’ll be limited in what we can do into the near future. We just can’t afford it. And there are other alternatives. As has been explained by the Acting General Manager if you‘re charging per stall and we give an arrangement the same as happens in the new facility, there is no additional cost. And hopefully with the sale we can do an arrangement where that the actual Service Tasmania shop, and other facilities can stay there. Hopefully that can happen, but that in itself is creating a problem, and a traffic hazard. Huge problem outside that place with trucks pulling up there which we want them to be doing. We’ve got no choice. Absolutely no choice. The longer we hang onto it, the more it will deteriorate. I understand the roof will probably need to be replaced. We’re talking about hundreds of thousands. And then we’ve got the on-going maintenance for peanuts in return.
Cr Davis: I’ll make two comments. I understand, to some extent empathise with, the comments that Cr Brooks and Cr Lambert have made but we’re going to be facing this with the Ross school, with other issues, where there are a lot of, you know, emotive positions taken by the local community members. The only way that I could see that we could get around that is for Campbell Town to agree to a discretionary rates payment for example because I can tell you right now the people of Perth aren’t going to pay for it. So, you know we’ve got to be very realistic and hard and I know it’s tough but we cannot keep everything. This was something that was foreshadowed, and everybody should have understood it. Yes, some people may have changed their minds, but we can’t make an investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars because some people have changed their minds.
Mayor Knowles: OK , I’ll put the recommendation. All those in favour.
Aye.
Mayor Knowles: Against.
Aye.
Mayor Knowles: Hands up please those against. Cr Brooks and Cr Lambert. Motion carried.
[3] ….. Northern Midlands Council Watch
https://www.facebook.com/
[4] ….. Northern Midlands Council meeting minutes
Page 703, 24 June 2018
https://www.northernmidlands.
Northern Midlands Council meeting minutes
Page 1416, 15 October 2018
https://www.northernmidlands.
There is a heritage assessment for each church included in the attachments.
St Mark’s Church – pages 297-305 – PLAN 7
https://www.northernmidlands.
Holy Trinity Church – pages 306-316 – PLAN 8
https://www.northernmidlands.
[5] Northern Midlands Council meeting agenda
17 May 2021
https://www.northernmidlands.
Page 41 ….. Kim Peart ….. • Has the Council looked into whether the Town Hall is worthy of heritage listing?
Council ….. Council records do not show the Hall has been investigated for heritage listing.
[6] Campbell Town War Memorial Oval Precinct Development Plan Final Report
Prepared by Jeff McClintock, September 2014
https://www.northernmidlands.
In terms of the two main options for the new building, there is again a strong consensus that the new building should be a multipurpose centre. The two main reasons given by the community for this are that:• The current facility is already used by a wide variety of sporting and non- sporting groups and there is the possibility of significantly increasing usage if a genuinely multipurpose facility ie. with a large function room, was built (and promoted statewide as a top-class, centrally located facility).• Since the refurbishment of the ground floor of the Town Hall (including incorporating the museum), there is no public space available in Campbell Town suitable for hosting large community functions (of up to 100-120 people seated at tables).
[7] Tasmania’s Ian Goninon wins NIBA broker award
Tasmania’s Ian Goninon Wins NIBA Broker Award – Tasmanian Times, 22 May 2021
[8] Northern Midlands Council meeting minutes
24 June 2019
https://www.northernmidlands.
PROPERTY REVIEW / FUTURE OWNERSHIP: TOWN HALL, CAMPBELL TOWN;
24 KING STREET, CAMPBELL TOWN
Investigate the process for sale of the property and seek expressions of interest for further consideration by Council. Carried unanimously.
