City Hall expression of interest

City Hall is set over two levels and includes the main hall and stage (approximately 1,180m²), lobby, amenities, storage and several tenancy spaces. The total occupancy limit is 1800 people. The building is heritage listed and subject to an adopted Conservation Plan.

City Hall sits within Hobart's civic and cultural heart, in close proximity to Theatre Royal and The Hedberg, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG), Federation Concert Hall and related civic spaces.

The City is seeking proposals that demonstrate how City Hall can become a more vibrant, active and financially sustainable public venue.

Proposals may include:

• venue management and operations
• cultural and community programming
• festivals and events
• conferences and business events
• tourism experiences
• educational activities
• partnerships and collaborative operating models
• innovative activation concepts that increase use of the facility.

The City is open to a range of operating arrangements, including lease models, management agreements, commercial venue operations or consortium approaches.

Applicants should carefully consider the following:

Heritage

City Hall is a heritage-listed building and is subject to heritage protections and an adopted Conservation Management Plan.

Existing occupants

City Hall currently accommodates YouthARC and several commercial tenants. Applicants should outline how they would work with, accommodate or manage existing tenancy arrangements.

Building functionality

Known challenges include:

• limited amenities
• poor back-of-house functionality
• storage and loading limitations
• heating and acoustic issues
• requirement for significant ongoing upgrades.

Flood risk

The site is susceptible to flooding and proposals should demonstrate an understanding of risk management, resilience and operational continuity.

Civic and community use

City Hall remains an important civic building and must continue to support community access, Council-related events and emergency activation requirements where needed.

City Hall - Expression of Interest(PDF, 533KB)

City Hall Conservation Plan 2002(PDF, 9MB)

City Hall Masterplan - Partners Hill and Lovell Chen(PDF, 22MB)

Council Report(PDF, 2MB)

Applications should demonstrate:

• a compelling vision for City Hall
• experience delivering similar venues, events or cultural programs
• sound governance and organisational capability
• a financially sustainable operating model
• a commitment to community access and affordability
• strong risk management and compliance systems
• a collaborative approach to working with the City of Hobart and precinct partners.

This EOI is not a tender process and does not create a binding contract. It allows the City to:

• shortlist applicants
• seek further information
• enter negotiations with preferred proponents
• decide not to proceed at any stage.

Applicants are responsible for:

• undertaking their own due diligence
• ensuring their proposal addresses all site and operational requirements.

Important conditions

• The City is not obliged to accept any proposal.
• Applicants bear their own costs in preparing submissions.
• Information provided will be treated confidentially where practicable.

Applications will be evaluated against criteria including:

• activation and programming
• financial sustainability
• capability and experience
• custodianship and compliance
• deliverability
• Youth ARC future accommodation
• partnerships and collaboration
• community benefit and affordability.

Applications will be scored based on how well they meet these requirements.