City of Darwin is pleased to announce that an application for development of the new Civic Centre has been approved by the Development Consent Authority and works will commence shortly.
The new Civic Centre will transform the surrounding area into a welcoming precinct with a community plaza and enhanced connection to Civic Park and Cavenagh Street.
City of Darwin Chief Executive Officer, Simone Saunders, said the newly developed Civic Centre would create more community amenities and a new and improved library.
"The new Civic Centre building will be constructed on the current car parking site and will take up a smaller footprint than the existing building so that, once complete, the area will be transformed into a cool, green community plaza," Ms Saunders said.
"The new Civic Centre will be accessible and inclusive, featuring a larger library with an expanded footprint as well as meeting rooms and function spaces that can be booked by the community.
"Once complete, the new building will feature approximately 410 car spaces, owned by City of Darwin, that can be used by residents, workers and visitors to the city as well as an improved Customer Service centre.
"While works take place, the City Library and Customer Service centre remain open and can be accessed via the existing Customer Service entry, in front of Civic Park. The existing carpark will be closed for the build and there will be 15-minute parking and accessible bays available on Harry Chan Avenue," she said.
City of Darwin is investing $77 million in the new Civic Centre, including $30 million to be spent on public carparking and $6 million to be spent on landscaping and revitalisation of the current Civic Centre site.
The remaining $41 million will be for City of Darwin's proportion of the new building which will include a larger library and community spaces, as well as accessible facilities, including Changing Places and other public amenities, for community use.
It will also include space for City of Darwin's administration and technical services offices, which will take up less space than the current office space in the existing building.
The $77 million investment by City of Darwin into the new Civic Centre is comprised of $47 million from reserves which can only be used for public carparking or for development of a new Civic Centre precinct, as well as $30 million in external borrowings. The use of borrowings for the new Civic Centre will mean that build costs are allocated across multiple future years and ensure intergenerational equity.
City of Darwin has partnered with local construction company, DCOH, on the project which creates efficiencies in the costs to build the new Civic Centre, however City of Darwin will retain majority ownership of the land and the building.
DCOH will fund, own and operate floors 11 to 20 of the building, which will be used for commercial use, not residential.
Managing Director and CEO of DCOH, Shane Dignan, said that the development approval brings excitement for DCOH, in their efforts to continually grow the NT and its offering.
"DCOH is excited to partner with the City of Darwin to develop and construct the new Civic Centre," Mr Dignan said.
"Growing Darwin and the territory is something DCOH prides itself upon, and we are thrilled to be taking the next step towards this with the new Civic Centre.
"A lot of hard work has gone into this architectural landmark project since its inception, and DCOH would like to thank the local planners, architects and consultants who have contributed thus far."
The new Civic Centre project has been in planning for over four years, and the final procurement process had probity oversight in place to ensure all requirements were met.
Once complete, a new plaza will be created where the existing Civic Centre building is, creating a space where people can visit, connect with others and engage in community and business activities and events.
The new plaza will also respect and give prominence to Galamarrma, the Tree of Knowledge, to ensure that it is protected.
Construction is expected to begin early in the dry season this year and be complete in 2028.
