Council
1 October, 2025
Playhouse refurbishment a step closer
Refurbishment of the Mittagong Memorial Hall/Playhouse is a step closer with Wingecarribee Shire Council awarding a contract worth almost $6 million for the first stage of works.
Refurbishment of the Mittagong Memorial Hall/Playhouse is a step closer with Wingecarribee Shire Council awarding a contract worth almost $6 million for the first stage of works.
Council resolved at its September meeting to award the contract to Corporate Interior Projects at a cost of $5,931,298.43.
At the same council resolved to accept the surrender of the lease for space in the building currently held by the Berrima Historical and Family Society and to enter into a new lease with the society for space in the Civic Centre in Moss Vale.
Corporate Interior Projects Pty Ltd has recently delivered building refurbishment works at the University of Tasmania (valued at $7.4 million), Pymble Ladies College ($3.5 million) and Armidale Teachers’ College ($1.4 million) – all of which were delivered under heritage constraints and considerations.
The Mittagong Memorial Hall/Playhouse refurbishment project has been identified within council’s Operational Plan and Budget 2025/26 for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years.
The $8.66 million budget for the project consists of 50 per cent grant funding under the Federal Government’s Growing Regions Program Round 2 and 50 per cent loan borrowings.
The Mittagong Memorial Hall/Playhouse – recognised as one of the shire’s most beloved heritage buildings – has been closed since late 2019 because of structural problems.
According to council’s website, the vision is for extensive refurbishments to not only bring the venue up to modern safety standards, but to transform it into a “purpose-designed cultural facility that will be unique in the region”.
Work is expected to commence later this year and will take 12 months to complete.
Councillors were told that the first stage of works was the larger of the two stages and would effectively turn the building back into a “compliant and serviceable building”.
It will include structural restoration of the building, fit-out of the ground floor, installation of a lift and replacement of the roofing. The first floor will be left as a ‘warm shell’ with walls, flooring and lighting and will be customised once a new tenant is found.
Council’s general manager Lisa Miscamble said completion of the first stage of works would provide council with a revenue opportunity moving forward.
Cr Sara Moylan raised concerns about on-going operational costs and a potential blow-out in construction costs and said she was ‘uncomfortable” about council taking out a loan on something that wasn’t essential.
She said council’s budget deficit for 2025/26 was $5.9 million – the same amount of money being spent on the memorial hall/playhouse project – so council was effectively going into debt for something that was “a want, not a need”.
Cr Moylan said it would be “irresponsible” for council to proceed with the project.
Deputy mayor Erin Foley said a lot of work had gone into acquiring grant funding for the refurbishment project.
She said there was a 20 per cent budget contingency to protect against a blow-out in construction costs which was a “sensible” approach given the age of the building.
“With something like this it’s not just a matter of reducing it to a want or a need,” Cr Foley said.
“I think an iconic item, an iconic building like the Mittagong Playhouse brings a lot to the suburb of Mittagong.
“It acts to activate the town centre, it’s a source of pride for Mittagong and a real showpiece in the town and I think this is something that we should really act on and move on,” Cr Foley said.
Cr Nicole Smith – who moved the recommendation that the contract be awarded – said Cr Foley had made some “excellent” points.
“I’m really looking forward to this going ahead,” Cr Smith said.
“I think this is an important historical project. It lies in the centre of Mittagong, it is very important to the arts in our community. It has sat there has an eyesore for too long.”
Cr Smith also said she was grateful there had been a good outcome for the Berrima Historical and Family Society, describing its permanent relocation to the Moss Vale Civic Centre as an “incredible positive”.
“I do not see this as a want – I see it as a need,” Cr Smith said.
“We need to reinvigorate Mittagong, the arts needs all the help it can get and the community needs these sorts of hubs to bring us together,” she said.
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