Community
14 April, 2023
Cannon Hill continues to divide
THE future of Warrnambool’s art gallery continues to divide the local community, with mayor Debbie Arnott urging residents not to “buy into innuendo and untruths.”
Speaking at last week’s Warrnambool City Council meeting, the mayor said she was disappointed the issue had “turned into quite a saga”.
“It’s such a shame that at this stage, the very, very early stage, this has become quite a saga,” Cr Arnott said.
“I would like to remind all residents that this is only an investigation, that’s it, no decision has been made and I strongly urge the public to allow the process to evolve and please, don’t buy into innuendo and mistruth.”
Council has come under mounting pressure from both sides of the debate since launching a feasibility study in 2021 which identified two possible locations for a new art gallery.
The first option being to build an upgrade facility on the existing site and the second option to build at Cannon Hill.
With an estimated build cost for both options (at the time of the study) of between $40 and $41.5 million, council has since come under fire from hundreds of opponents and proponents, with the issue seemingly dividing the local community.
A petition presented to council in October last year featured more than 5000 signatures (both written and electronic) objecting to the relocation of the gallery to Cannon Hill.
This was followed-up a month later by the release of ‘Hands off Cannon Hill’ stickers and, earlier this year, bright green t-shirts adorning the same motto. While hundreds of objectors have continued to voice their opposition, via social media and on-site gatherings, a new petition has arisen over the past week which supports the Cannon Hill proposal. The latest petition has already attracted more than 500 signatures, with several believing that if “sensitively done” this (Cannon Hill) would be an “outstanding site” for a new art gallery.
Some of the comments in favour of the Cannon Hill site include:
If sensitively done, this would be an outstanding site for a new art gallery provided the community’s need to look across Lake Pertobe and the beach without entering the gallery is met, and if indigenous concerns are also addressed;
This could be a world class destination.….where else is there an art gallery that looks out over the Southern Ocean?;
Warrnambool is well on the way to becoming one of Victoria’s top regional creative hubs, and along with becoming a custodian of culturally significant works, a premier art gallery would be a drop draw solidifying the town’s standing as a must-visit destination;
The Cannon Hill site is under-utilised and the views and location would make a stunning site for a gallery. It would connect town to the coast beautifully;
Like we have seen with the new library, our community is deserving of fantastic public spaces;
A larger Warrnambool Public Art Gallery at the Cannon Hill site with the planning proposal currently at hand is an amazing and inspired idea that would elevate Warrnambool’s standing as a leading community for culture in the area;
Refusal of this opportunity is regressive and holds back the potential of Warrnambool to be an amazing cultural and tourist centre;
We are now presented with the rare opportunity for a major public facility to powerfully connect the city with the ocean it sits beside. This is a legacy worth leaving.
According to council’s project timeline, a presentation of a draft business case and options for consideration will be presented sometime this month.
Should council agree to progress the proposal, a comprehensive ‘deliberative engagement process’ will be developed and actioned (otherwise alternative pathways will be developed to deliver a new Warrnambool Art Gallery) from May 2023 onward.
