The former His Majesty’s Theatre – most recently used as a concert venue – was purchased by the DCC in early 2017, after concerns the building might be lost as a performance venue.
Council subsequently carried out public consultation over the future of the building, with 87% of 201 respondents in favour of retaining the building for future use. The majority of those favoured the building being used as a performance space.
Today, the council’s Community and Culture Committee received a report detailing the results of the consultation exercise. Councillors welcomed the strong public support for the retention of the building, and voted unanimously to retain the building leasehold and progress redevelopment options for Sammy’s.
Cr Chris Staynes strongly supported the proposal, and said redevelopment as a performance venue was entirely in keeping with the original vision for the warehouse district as a home for Dunedin’s creative sector.
Cr Lee Vandervis supported the proposal, but expressed concerns that placing an appropriate façade on the building might be a difficult and potentially expensive stumbling block.
However, he hoped any future business plan for Sammy’s would represent the importance of maintaining the façade of the building.
- Mike Houlahan
