Launceston Creative Precinct: New Creative Group
Here’s one more reason to move Tasmania: the Launceston Creative Precinct. This brand new initiative, still in development, seeks to deliver an injection of culture and creative industry to the city, and encourage visitors slightly further than MONA. The precinct is being developed by New Creative Group, a collective focused on the ongoing development of creative industries. COVID-19 has tested the sector, but statistics demonstrate that the creative industries contribute over $30 billion annually to Australia’s economy. The Launceston Creative Precinct has been designed to encompass education in its design and technology, a virtual and augmented reality enterprise that will be both consumer and business facing, with retail alongside student accommodation. The Foundry is at the heart of the new precinct; its education model demonstrates a clear focus on the business of creative careers, and the whole precinct will be built around formal and informal teaching and learning studios that are intended to be publicly visible. At an estimated $90 million, Launceston Creative Precinct will also be the largest creative development in Tasmania, driven predominately by private investment although the project has received $10 million in grant funding from the federal government under the Building Better Regions Fund (BBRF). Construction begins in 2021 and architecture firms Hassell and Cumulus Studio have been engaged by New Creative Group to conduct the initial design of Launceston Creative Precinct with ecologically sustainable principles.
NOTE: The dates provided are current and speculative. Many Australian and international arts organisations remain closed in accordance with COVID-19 restrictions. Please refer to institutional websites for further details.
