We would like to thank the community for engaging with this project over the past months. Your input shapes the future of our town, making it a better place for everyone.

Moving forward

After careful consideration and strongly guided by feedback from our community, Council has made the decision to proceed with concept planning for the integration of a new visitor information centre, library, cinema, and art gallery in Thomas Jack Park.

Keeping in mind community feedback around respecting green space and minimising impact on the parkland, Council has approved a maximum development footprint of 2500m² for new cultural facilities.

To ensure minimal impact to the park's greenspace, Council has resolved the exclusion of Lots 3 and 6 (see maps below), and that all planning activities will retain the nature and amenity of Thomas Jack Park as a community parkland.

We understand that there is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm in our community for performing arts and live music, and Council has recommended it will consider in its 2025/26 budget consideration to fund a business case to assess the long-term feasibility, potential benefits and exploration of a secondary site location for the Performing Arts Centre in Dalby.

Council wants to carefully consider, and balance, existing needs for performing arts facilities with future community needs and aspirations by undertaking this business case study.

Why Thomas Jack Park?

The message we heard from community is that Dalby needs a social meeting place to spend time together, be entertained, share experiences and enjoy arts and culture, and this place needs to offer plenty of things to do for our youth. Thomas Jack Park is the ideal for the integration of new cultural offerings because it is already known as a community anchor, it is accessible and safe, and having a concentration of available activities in one place both draws more footfall, increases dwell time, and encourages repeat visits, creating a vibrant place.

Project Details

Respecting green space and minimising impact on the parkland, Council will proceed with the decision to locate the smaller footprint cultural facilities - visitor information centre, library, cinema, and art gallery - in Thomas Jack Park without the Performing Arts Centre (PAC).

We know there is a tremendous appetite in our community for live music and performing arts in Dalby. It is Council’s responsibility to carefully consider and balance existing community needs for performing arts facilities with future community needs and aspirations to ensure we are future-proofing Dalby’s capacity to offer amazing cultural performances.

Council will consider commissioning a business case in its 2025/26 budget to assess the long-term feasibility, potential benefits, and exploration of a secondary site location for a Performing Arts Centre in Dalby.

Many factors informed this decision including feedback from extensive community consultation on the location for the Cultural Centre, as well as expert advice from independent urban design consultants.

The full engagement report and site analysis is available to read here.

The key messages we heard from the community relating to the Cultural Centre were:

• The loss of the Cultural Centre facilities is sorely felt and these urgently need to be restored
• There is a particular need for more activities and opportunities tailored to youth and teens in our town centre
• There is strong demand for a cinema in Dalby
• Community want a social meeting place to spend time together, be entertained, share experiences and enjoy arts and culture
• In general it is not felt that all Cultural Centre facilities need to be in one place
• 73% of community would accept a small loss of green space for greater community benefit

In relation to Thomas Jack Park, we understand community concerns around protecting the existing values of the site. The key messages we heard are:

• Thomas Jack Park plays an important role in our community, from social, cultural and personal perspectives and this role must be preserved
• There is concern at a loss of green space in the park and this must be minimised and addressed through the design
• It is vital to maintain access to a safe and secure playground through any development of the park
• There are concerns around parking and traffic issues which must be addressed through the design
• There is much support for locating some Cultural Centre facilities within Thomas Jack Park because of its proximity to the CBD, existing position as a community hub, increased opportunities to spend time in nature, safety for youth and the potential to create something exciting and unique that sets Dalby apart in the region.

After hearing the above concerns from the community, Council made the decision to exclude Lot 3 and Lot 6 from the plans. Cultural Centre Facilities will be placed in other areas, up to a maximum total footprint of 2500 square metres. This leaves the vast majority of the park as accessible green space.

We are thrilled to announce that leading Queensland designer, OMA, has been appointed as the architect for the Cultural Centre. OMA's reputation for bringing to life spaces that resonate with the communities they serve make them the perfect partner for this project.

OMA will be working closely with the community to ensure their needs, concerns and aspirations are reflected in the design.