Proposals sought for Performing Arts Precinct site

Those who want to be part of Christchurch’s Performing Arts Precinct now have the opportunity to secure a prominent site in the heart of the development.

Christchurch City Council is requesting proposals from organisations who can develop a 2081 square metre section of land at 129 Gloucester Street.

“If you’ve got an exciting operation that will help make Christchurch the leading performing arts centre in the country, this block of land offers the perfect home for it,” says Bruce Rendall, Head of City Growth and Property.

“The passion is out there – and this process will help us find the ideal candidate to take this piece of land and make it their own.

The Precinct is bringing together a variety of venues to support a wide range of performing arts – crowd-pleasing plays, intimate performances, stand-up comedy, contemporary and classical music and ground-breaking theatre.

Alongside The Court Theatre, which is currently under construction for a 2024 opening, the Performing Arts Precinct also contains the Isaac Theatre Royal and The Piano: Centre for Music and the Arts. The Council is also working with the Christchurch School of Music on a proposal for the land located beside the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Armagh Street.

“The site we have available fronts onto Gloucester Street, as well as the western lane beside The Court Theatre and the central courtyard to the north, so is well-suited to hosting an active and attractive ground floor space,” Mr Rendall says.

Find more information and register your interest here by 11 August.

The Council envisions granting a long-term lease for the land but will consider other options on a case-by-case basis.

The land was acquired by the Crown in 2020 and transferred to the Council for the designated purpose of the Performing Arts Precinct. In 2022, councillors decided against selling the land for a car park and instead voted to retain the land so that the Council can explore other uses for it in the future.