Town Hall Faces Date With Wrecking Ball

Illawarra Mercury

Tuesday November 27, 2007

By MARIO CHRISTODOULOU

IT could be the end of the line for Wollongong's town hall with councillors likely to scrap plans to consult the community and raze the ageing building.

Last week councillors rejected a proposal to demolish the hall, but this week some councillors have changed their mind.

A recision motion lodged yesterday could now be the final nail in the coffin for the town hall.

Signed by three independent councillors - recent Labor exile Tony Kent, Lord Mayor Alex Darling, and Dave Martin - the motion is likely to receive majority council support. It will annul a previous proposal calling for a fresh round of community consultation, and will likely result in the building being demolished.

Already councillors are hardening their resolve to demolish the building, despite an anticipated community backlash.

"It's silly to hold off doing something that everyone on council thinks needs doing," said Cr Kent, who recently left the Labor caucus.

Cr Kent previously rejected a motion last week which recommended the demolition of the building. This week, however, he has had a change of heart. "Why hold off? We have have to stop procrastinating on things and show a bit of leadership and get things done," he said.

The hall has been closed since July 2006, when authorities stripped it of its Place of Public Entertainment licence. Last week general manager David Farmer said the council could not afford to build a new town hall or concert hall for at least eight years and the only sensible option would be to demolish the present one.

The recision motion will be debated on December 3.

© 2007 Illawarra Mercury

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