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We shouldn’t give up on the vision to create a live entertainment, music, and theatre venue out of the Manly Town Hall.
Top-tier live performances, including music and theatre, are the missing pieces of the puzzle for Manly, the gateway to the Northern Beaches. The Town Hall is a NSW Heritage-listed landmark that's been a focal point of our community for a long time, and it deserves a new chapter.
In July 2022, Council invited residents to explore ideas for how we can use the Town Hall. A plan came about to turn it into an arts and entertainment hub, and the vision was pretty exciting. It included a 350-seat exhibition space, a 100-seat theatre, and an 80-seat cinema. Council proceeded with a feasibility study which examined operational costs, traffic and parking impact, storage, and economic benefits. The findings were thorough, and while the idea was widely supported, the numbers didn’t stack up, and the project was deemed financially unviable.
The thing is, there’s more than one way to deliver this outcome, and giving up off the back of one report would be a shame. The Town Hall is currently being used as a Customer Service Centre for Northern Beaches Council, where it can be so much more. The administrative function of the Council could move to the Manly Library, which has plenty of space just around the corner.
Manly Town Hall has the bones to be one of NSW’s most exciting live performance spaces. From enticing visitors staying at Circular Quay to come and enjoy dinner and a show, to supporting local talent and adding some great energy to the area, it can be done. Right now, though, the report is sitting there gathering dust, and the effort to get to this point is all but wasted.
So, what happens next? I’m determined not to give up and to continue working with some great community leaders and the Manly Business Chamber to push for a creative and community-driven solution that will deliver this vision. Watch this space!
BEACHES COVERED spoke with Ramsie Taylor, Executive Committee Member of the Manly Chamber of Commerce, about the future of Town Hall.
Do you think the arts and entertainment vision is worth pursuing?
Yes. Town Hall is an iconic building in Manly that could provide a unique space for a great arts and entertainment-focused venue to maximise the building and its use.
What perspective does the Chamber Sub-Committee have on why this is an important project?
Providing a venue with a focus on arts and entertainment would create a different revenue stream for the local economy and provide an additional attraction for locals and tourists to visit, outside of our peak beach-going season.
As an experienced figure in the hospitality industry, how do you see the Town Hall project benefiting Manly and its surrounds?
There are so many outstanding businesses owned and run by locals who are dedicated to our community. Repurposing Town Hall into a space that attracts visitation on a year-round basis would provide additional support and visibility to these incredible businesses.
What about the next steps?
I’d like to see an attractive and competitive tender put together that would drive interest from a variety of operators so Council would have world-class options to choose from.
How important is collaboration on this?
Massive. The collaboration required can’t be understated. Any revitalisation of Town Hall would need to be in consultation with the community and the many stakeholders to achieve the best possible outcome. •
