Gladstone Entertainment Centre Precinct Expansion Project (GECPE)

About the GECPE Project

The Gladstone Entertainment Centre Precinct Expansion (GECPE) project involves a state-of-the-art redevelopment of the Gladstone Entertainment Centre and expansion of the adjoining multi-level car park to include an additional three levels of car parking and two storeys of commercial office space.

The project is being jointly delivered by project partners Gladstone Regional Council and Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC) and is being driven by Council's plan to create a larger, multi-purpose entertainment venue for the growing Gladstone community, the strong demand for additional public parking in the CBD precinct and GPC's need to ensure shipping in Gladstone harbour is controlled in a safe and efficient manner.

The GECPE project will establish the Gladstone Entertainment Centre as one of regional Queensland's premier entertainment venues, attracting new entertainment, conferences and events never before seen in the region. The expansion will see the addition of a new multi-use convention and event floor space that will increase the venue's capacity to 1,500 standing and allow it to host larger and higher-profile events and concerts. The new flat floor space will complement the centre's existing auditorium, which seats 674 people, allowing the entertainment centre to host multiple events at any one time.

The car park expansion will include three new levels of car parking,  providing much-needed additional parking in the Gladstone CBD. Three new elevators will also be provided to improve access.

One level of the new office space will be occupied by GPC and the top level of office space will be occupied by Maritime Safety Queensland and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority to provide an improved line-of-sight to the Gladstone Harbour for these important authorities.

The total project cost is estimated at $33 million and will be jointly funded by Council and GPC.

Construction to start on Monday, 3 September 2012!

Construction on the GECPE project will commence on Monday, 3 September 2012, weather permitting.

The construction start date follows a two month delay that allowed development approval conditions to be fully assessed and the design to be refined with the appointed construction contractor, ADCO.

The refined project design includes exciting new features, such as a revamped forecourt on Goondoon Street with a feature glass awning, as well as a new entrance water feature. View the revised design impressions here.

Both the entertainment centre and adjoining car park will be closed for approximately 12 months while the construction works are underway.

Throughout construction, there will be some disruption in the immediate vicinity, including increased levels of noise, dust and vibration. Every effort will be made to minimise disruption to the local community during this work.

Car park closure

The entertainment centre car park will close at midnight on Friday, 31 August 2012. We ask that motorists seek out the next, nearest publicly available car park for the duration of the closure. Additional disabled car parks have been made available at the Library Square car park.

A map highlighting alternative public parking locations within the Gladstone CBD can be downloaded here.

The GECPE project team apologises in advance for any inconvenience caused by the car park closure and appreciates the community's patience while the works are underway.

Construction Progress

The skyline in and around the Gladstone Entertainment Centre Precinct Expansion (GECPE) project has changed dramatically in the past month.

Behind the safety barricading on Goondoon Street and Oaka Lane the site has been a hive of activity with progress on track for the 12 month project.

ADCO Constructions began site works in early September, with the first two months spent demolishing and removing the former box office building and surrounding structures.

The focus since then has been strengthening the foundations of the car park to allow for the construction of three new levels of car parking and the top two levels of office space. The vertical expansion of the car park is now visible with the work approximately 30% complete.

Construction on the Entertainment Centre extension is also well underway with the perimeter walls of the new function area installed in mid-January.

Reminder to motorists: Partial closure of Oaka Lane to general traffic

In interest of public safety, the section of Oaka Lane between Yarroon Street and Roseberry Street (behind the Entertainment Centre) is closed to general traffic during construction working hours of 6:30am and 5:30pm Monday to Friday and 6:30am and 2pm on Saturdays.

Local residents and businesses still have access to their properties.

Reminder: Temporary Council car park

In an effort to ease the pressure on public parking in the CBD while the Entertainment Centre car park is closed for construction, Council opened a temporary car park beside the former RSL building on Goondoon Street, providing 29 parking spaces including three disabled parks.

The temporary parking venue was opened in late October and is available for all-day public parking on a first-in, first-served basis.

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Project Plans

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the project being undertaken?

The project is driven by Council's plan to create a larger, multi-purpose entertainment venue that will provide enhanced entertainment options for the growing Gladstone community and the strong demand for additional public parking in the CBD precinct and GPC's need to ensure shipping in Gladstone harbour is controlled in a safe and efficient manner.

The existing entertainment centre auditorium space seats 674 people, which doesn't allow the centre to host major events and can be an impediment to attracting some of the nation's leading acts.
The addition of a new multi-use, flat floor space will increase the venue's capacity to 1,500 standing, allowing larger events to be held at the entertainment centre. It will also provide Gladstone with a premier facility to host major conferences and events - a need which is currently met by a temporary vinyl marquee.
As one of Queensland's major economic hubs, Gladstone requires the facilities to host major events, attract new entertainment options and encourage increased economic investment in the region.

What are the project benefits?

Entertainment centre

Car park

What is the project background?

The Gladstone Entertainment Centre has been in operation since 1981 and during this time, has only ever had modest refurbishment.
The proposed redevelopment of the entertainment centre was first flagged in 1998 by then General Manager, Terry George, to build a larger flat floor venue to accommodate major touring performances. The existing auditorium seats 674 people, which can be an impediment to attracting some of the nation's leading acts.
Council undertook consultation on the proposed entertainment centre expansion proposal between March and May 2010, presenting two potential design options to the community and seeking feedback. Since that time, the project designs have been refined and finalised.
Throughout the project planning process, an opportunity was identified to partner with GPC to expand the multi-storey car park in conjunction with the entertainment centre redevelopment to cater to the increased capacity of the entertainment centre and provide much-needed additional parking in the Gladstone city centre.

Why isn't the entertainment centre auditorium being expanded as part of the project?

The existing auditorium seats 677 people and current assessments demonstrate this is ample for the types of events in Gladstone that require an auditorium-style venue. Council has not, however, eliminated the possibility of ever expanding the auditorium in the future and the project has been designed to allow this to occur if required.

What Gladstone does require is a suitable multi-purpose venue to host events such as conferences, conventions and other large-scale events, such as major concerts, where an auditorium set up would not be appropriate.

The new flat floor space will increase the venue's capacity to 1,500 standing and will complement the existing auditorium, allowing the centre to attract entertainment and events never before seen in the region and to host multiple events at any one time.

What are the construction timeframes?

The project is subject to the normal regulatory approvals and its Development Application (DA) is currently being assessed. Pending approval of the DA within the coming weeks, construction is expected to commence early in the third quarter of 2012 and last for approximately 12 months.

Why do the entertainment centre and car park need to be closed during construction?

Due to the nature of the extensive works to be undertaken and safety requirements, both the entertainment centre and car park will need to be closed completely during construction.
The project team acknowledges some members of the community will be impacted by the entertainment centre and car park closure and apologies in advance for any inconvenience caused. The project team appreciates the community's patience while these important works are underway.

What will happen to the events that have already been scheduled at the entertainment centre during construction?

During construction, the entertainment centre will continue to run a key schedule of events at suitable alternative venues throughout Gladstone. A range of options are currently being considered and will be announced in the coming weeks.

What are the expected construction impacts?

As with any construction project, impacts may include increased noise, dust, vibration and traffic movements for surrounding residents and businesses.The project team will provide the community with advance notice of any extraordinary impacts, such as night/weekend works or access changes that may be required.

The project team will work with the construction contractor to minimise impacts wherever possible. Council and GPC appreciate the community's patience while these important works are underway.

How will you keep the community updated throughout the project?

The project team is committed to keeping the community informed throughout the project and will provide regular information updates as the project progresses through a combination of the following activities:

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Latest news

Contact us

If you would like more information about any element of the project, please contact the project team on any of the below details. A member of the team will be happy to assist you.

Phone: 1800 668 118
Email: info@gecpe.com.au
Website: www.gecpe.com.au