The owner of a former landmark theatre has angered locals after revealing plans to turn it into an entertainment district and reduce its stage and audience capacity.
Developer David Kingston plans to turn the Roxy Theatre in Parramatta, west of Sydney, into a nightlife hub, including restaurants, bars and cafes.
The theatre, built in Spanish Baroque style and with its palm-lined courtyard, was first opened in 1930.
The ornate cinema originally seated 1,924 and was managed by the Hoyts and Village Cinemas chains before closing in 2003.
Mr Kingston converted the Roxy into a nightclub and restaurants, but closed it in 2014.
The developer had submitted plans in 2015 to build a high-rise tower above the theatre, but these were rejected by the Land and Environment Court.
The owner’s new plans for the building, which was added to the State Heritage Register in 1999, will cost $20 million and will also include outdoor cafes and bars.
Mr Kingston believes the redevelopment will offer the best opportunity to revive the area’s nightlife. The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
Proposed plans for the Roxy Theatre in Parramatta, western Sydney, include demolishing the rear and adding a contemporary three-storey building (pictured)
The owner and developer of the Spanish Baroque-style theatre hopes to build restaurants, cafes and bars there, turning it into an entertainment venue (pictured: the Roxy Theatre in 1993).
Opponents of the proposal believe the site would be better developed into a Capitol Theatre for western Sydney, which could host live music events as well as theatre and musical productions.
But they believe the plans could put an end to this, in part because of the proposal to halve the auditorium’s seating capacity to just 900 on the upper level.
A wave of protesters is putting pressure on Premier Chris Minns to fulfil his 2023 election promise and secure the Roxy as an important cultural venue.
Roxy Theatre Action Group chairman Robert Fox said plans for the stage area were not big enough.
“The plans show a stage and some arrangements at the back of the theatre as part of (an auditorium), but these are symbolic spaces that would incline a layman to think the Roxy is being restored,” he said.
‘In fact, the stage is only big enough to accommodate a comedian or a rock band; it certainly won’t be big enough for an orchestra or a theatrical production of any kind.’
Under the current plan Mr Kingston has submitted, the rear of the theatre will be demolished and a three-storey extension added.
The extension will include a café and bar, as well as rehearsal rooms behind the stage.
A future Metro West stop will also open.
The theater plans include a reference to the new Metro West stop and a new outdoor pedestrian walkway (pictured)
Built in 1930 and used as a cinema and nightclub over the years, the new plan will halve the theatre’s original seating capacity (1942 photo)
The upper level auditorium will be suitable for live music, awards nights and comedy shows.
The western and eastern walls of the building would be opened up to accommodate a columned gallery, as well as outdoor dining spaces and walkways.
But Mr Kingston said that if the plans were approved by the council, the timetable for the redevelopment would depend on how long work takes around the Metro West stop and the Civic Link pedestrian and cycle path next to the Roxy.
‘Metro has also closed public roads and alleys with its excavation site immediately on the south and west boundaries of Roxy,’ he said.
‘The Roxy is ready for a major renovation, but it won’t happen until Metro steps in and speeds up the work.’
Business Western Sydney chief executive David Borger said the Roxy should be considered just one part of an entertainment precinct in Parramatta.
He said the area had become a “music desert” and the redevelopment of the Roxy and the opening of the Metro West site next door was the “biggest opportunity” to create a “night-time economy”.
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