Part of the St Kilda Triangle would be transformed into a 5,000 standing capacity live music venue under a concept being considered by Port Phillip Council.
The Council proposal, to be discussed at the 6 September Council Meeting, follows the Council recently declaring St Kilda as Victoria’s first Live Music Precinct.
Mayor, Heather Cunsolo said the site, which is in a prime position on St Kilda’s famous foreshore near the Palais Theatre and Luna Park, is ideally situated to fill the gap in Melbourne for a purpose-built indoor live music/performance venue for up to 5,000 patrons.
An indicative site layout shows how a venue meeting market demand and with complementary uses and carparking could work on the site. The flexible design, which is not final, allows for seamless adjustments for smaller events or for up to 5000 music lovers.
“We’ve spoken to music industry experts from venues and promoters to performers to gauge the feasibility of this creative concept and they say it would help address a critical shortage of medium-large live music spaces,” said Mayor Cunsolo.
“We now need to hear what our community thinks before deciding whether to progress this plan for the Triangle to play an even bigger role in St Kilda’s live music scene.
“This concept is also about providing beautiful, well-designed outdoor space for locals and visitors which complements the much-loved ‘slopes’ and provides a pedestrian connection to the foreshore.”
The emphasis on a mostly standing capacity venue allows for dancing in a purpose-built venue with state-of-the-art features such as acoustics, regardless of weather, she said.
The proposed capacity is similar to the well-regarded Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane and Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion.
A series of elevated terraces, balconies and rooftops offer a scenic ‘balcony to the bay” and existing views and sightlines are respected.
The St Kilda Triangle is well-serviced by public transport and the site layout includes about 240 parking spaces in a semi-basement and adjacent site. In addition to the Triangle, an existing 1,600 paid parking spaces are within a 500-metre radius.
If a decision is made on 6 September to take the concept out to community consultation, this will be undertaken from 7 September to 19 October, Council said.
A report informed by this consultation would then go to the Council later in the year to help decide what next steps, if any, should be taken.
Given the civic nature and the scale of a potential new live music/performance venue on Crown Land, progressing the project from an idea to implementation would rely heavily on strong engagement and buy in from the Victorian Government, the Mayor said.
Mushroom Group CEO, Matt Gudinski said the concept of building a new purpose-built venue at the site had long been discussed and would be great news for St Kilda and the entire local music scene.
“We have a thriving community of homegrown artists and amazing venues across our state,” he said.
“To ensure our local scene remains as strong as ever we need to be constantly developing quality, new venues for Victoria to retain its status as the live music capital of Australia.”
Fitzroy Street Business Association President, David Blakeley welcomed Port Phillip Council’s investigation into a live music venue for the St Kilda Triangle.
“We believe what’s being proposed would drive local trade while improving social amenity.”
This venue would also strengthen St Kilda’s long lasting live music connection. Locals deserve a Triangle that acknowledges the entertainment history of the site while looking forward to a new future,” Mr Blakeley said.
