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Shoalhaven City Council has announced it is undertaking upgrades to Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre ensuring it maintains its reputation as a state-of-the-art venue. 

Plans for the upgrade of the region’s premier performing arts and conferencing venue include improvements to ensure building compliance, re-design of the Centre’s Encore Café & Bar to improve accessibility, and a new a loading dock shelter to increase accessibility of equipment to the venue, irrespective of weather.

There will also be upgrades to sound, lighting and audio-visual systems to enhance customer experience and maintain our status as the premier entertainment venue for shows and acts on the south coast. 

The upgrade works will start from December 2020 with the Centre scheduled to reopen in May 2021.

Shoalhaven City Council Mayor Amanda Findley notes “Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre is a valuable cultural asset to our region. Since opening in 2008 the venue has attracted world-class performances and has become essential to cultural and community life in the Shoalhaven.

“The upgrade will ensure the Entertainment Centre maintains its reputation as a state-of-the-art facility for years to come.

“As COVID-19 restrictions, and border closures continue to curtail national and international touring and impact the viability of entertainment venues, Council considered this an opportune time to undertake the upgrades.”

This presented an opportune time for the 12-year-old building to undergo an upgrade. 

Council has engaged local architecture firm Edmiston Jones to project manage the upgrades from their Nowra Office, with other contractors to be appointed as the project progresses.

Council expects there to be minimal impact on neighbours with noise/dust and additional worksite traffic.

The Centre’s Encore Café & Bar and meeting rooms will remain open until end of November 2020.  

During the upgrade works, the Encore Café will operate a ‘pop up’ service, with al fresco dining options, from Council’s administration building foyer from Monday to Friday 8am-3pm. The café will observe Council’s seasonal shutdown from 24th December 2020 to 4th January 2021. 

There will be no interruption to the Nowra Visitor Information or Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre Box Office services as these will be relocated to the foyer in Council's administration building - just metres from the Entertainment Centre. 

Community and customer service enquiries will continue to be managed by the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre team and Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre staff will be relocated to other Council sites during the works. Temporary signage will direct customers to the relocated services.

Some parking adjacent to the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre and the forecourt will be used to house a temporary worksite office and builders’ compound. 

For more information on the upgrades visit Council’s website. 

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