TMChanges

=Changes Set for Melbourne's Art Precinct=

Hamer Hall, located within the Arts Centre, is to undergo a $128.5 million redevelopment which will make the facility more accessible and inviting to the public. This redevelopment is the first stage of the Southbank Cultural Precinct Redevelopment which aims to create a unique precinct that would deliver an increased cultural presence for the state and could increase visitor numbers to the Arts Centre by 1 million people to 3.5 million people a year, bringing the total to the overall precinct to 4.5 million. It would link Victoria's major arts venues and companies via a new urban space, provide exceptional public amenity for the community and burgeon residential population of Soutbank and the CBD.

The redevelopment of Hamer Hall will encompass new connections with the city and a spectacular outlook to it; better amenites with new stairs, improved disability, escalators and lifts; new and expanded foyer spaces; improved acoustics, new auditorium seating and cutting edge staging systems and technology; and contemporary approaches to sustainability including power generation and waste and water management.

Traffic flow will be improved and Hamer Hall will be more accessible and easier to navigate. Hamer Hall wll be connected to the city, St Kilda road and the Yarra River, providing a vibrant interface between the arts precinct and the rest of Melbourne's CBD. The renovations and redevelopments due to take place will no doubt provide audiences with a more pleasurable experience, aided by new and improved air conditioning, lighting and seating, and upgraded back of house facilities.

The rest of the Southbank Cultural Precinct Redevelopment will focus on improving existing theatres and businesses in the arts precinct and shaping Victoria as a theatre capital of the world, unique and coveted by others. The cultural impact of this would be astounding for the district, however there are some doubts as to whether the proposed project will be carried out after all. We think that it would be a shame for the proposed renovations not to happen because such redevelopments would have beneficial results in the tourist industry and perhaps bring more visitors to the CBD, from both interstate and other countries.

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