The Northern Beaches Council Administrator and the NSW Minister for Education today announced the first steps towards the establishment of an indoor performing arts facility in Mona Vale.

The Department of Education will grant Northern Beaches Council permission to create a purpose-built performance and arts facility within Mona Vale Public School.

Northern Beaches Council will carry out a feasibility study on the facility in consultation with the NSW Department of Education, which will include a detailed business case.

Northern Beaches Council Administrator Dick Persson AM said Council had resolved to establish a Charitable Trust for the purpose of receiving tax deductable donations for the construction and operation of the Mona Vale Performance Space, which would be run by Council and used by all local schools and the broader community.

“The Northern Beaches has a rich heritage of large performance ensembles which continues to this day.

“It’s within our broader community interest to invest in building a facility that supports ensembles and allows residents to maintain an active interest in music throughout their lifetime,” Mr Persson said.

Councils Strategic Reference Group for Arts and Culture identified there is a clear need for a performance space to support the many performance ensembles across Northern Beaches’ schools and the broader community.

“Building such a space at Mona Vale Public School would be a great opportunity to utilise existing space for the broader community benefit. This would include creating a community organisation/trust whose principal purpose is the promotion of literature, music, performing arts, craft, design, film, video, radio, community arts or television.”

Council will explore a detailed business plan, outline capital and operational costs, and determine the demand and potential uses of a performance space at the school.

“All sources of funding are being investigated and Council’s move to establish a fund capable of accepting philanthropic tax deductible contributions as a means to encourage support for the proposal, is an essential step in this becoming a reality,” he added.

“This generous provision of land is a great example of State Government working together with Councils to deliver specific outcomes to meet a community’s needs.”

A Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Endorsement will be explored along with all other options for funding. The project would be similar to the collaboration between Council, sporting groups and the State Government in the late 1990s which led to the establishment of the Northern Beaches Indoor Sports Centre at Narrabeen.