The UC National Conservatorium of Music
Frequently Asked Questions.
Q: What is happening?
A: The Christchurch City Council has agreed to lease from the Arts Centre Trust Board an area of land on Hereford Street currently used for car parking; construct a building to house a National Conservatorium of Music; and enter into a long-term rental agreement with the University of Canterbury. A resource consent hearing is scheduled for February.
Q: Will it be ratepayers who pay for the building?
A: No. The City Council will fund construction of the building and recoup all costs through the University’s lease payments, including expenses and interest payments incurred during the construction phase and the University’s occupancy.
Q: Is it known how much it will cost?
A: The Christchurch City Council will borrow a total of $24.355 million to advance to Civic Building Limited. This amount will cover cost of construction, 20-year prepayment of the land lease to the Arts Centre Trust Board, and working capital for the Council-controlled trading organisation.
Q: What if the cost of construction exceeds budget?
A: Whatever the full cost of construction, it will be recovered through the University’s lease payments.
Q: Is the proposed building suitable for the site?
A: The plans have been presented to the City Council’s Urban Design Panel, the Historic Places Trust and the Arts Centre Trust Board. After modifications made in response to their feedback all three organisations have approved the design in principle. The Civic Trust has also been briefed on the design.
Q: Could it be smaller?
A: The current size is considered to be necessary for a facility of this sort. Further, it is no higher than the surrounding buildings and the quadrangle it creates will be the largest of the quadrangles.
Q: Why does the building need an auditorium?
A: Performance will be the focus of our programmes at the conservatorium. An auditorium will be necessary for rehearsals and performances by staff, students and others; and would provide a venue for public lectures.
Q: Will the building only be used during term times?
A: The building will be used all year round by our staff and students, and other community groups such as schools and organisations involved in music performance.
Q: Will the proposed building accommodate future growth?
A: It is forecast that music student numbers at the Arts Centre site would increase from 200 (headcount) or 88.8 EFTS; to 320 (headcount) or 144.4 EFTS within six years of the commissioning of the new Conservatorium building. The Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association’s annual benchmarking exercise across 50 Australasian tertiary institutions covering Gross Floor Area per EFTS indicates that the proposed building will accommodate a student capacity in the order of 250 EFTS.
Q: Why did the University seek to involve the City Council?
A: The City Council has the standing to provide support for a development of
this scale and long-term nature. The City, like the University, has been around for over a hundred years. It is that stability we need for the commitments involved in this project.
Q: Could it be built elsewhere in the centre city?
A: Some 800,000 visits are made to the Canterbury Museum and surrounding area each year by out of town visitors. It is this passing crowd, as much as the citizens of Christchurch, that we want to expose to the talent within our music programme. This would not be the case if the conservatorium was anywhere other than at the Arts Centre.
Q: Isn’t there already a National School of Music in Wellington?
A: The joint venture NZ School of Music promoted by Massey and Victoria universities operates on a number of sites. A proposal to build a new facility has been deferred until at least 2011, with the cost of its proposed building estimated to be about $60 million. Our proposal is nowhere near as expensive and represents an opportunity for Canterbury to become a national leader in music education.
Q: Would students be required to commute between Ilam and the Arts Centre?
A: Some staff would still lecture to the larger music classes that would continue to be offered at Ilam and would be required to commute. Likewise some students would be required to travel. We currently have Theatre students travelling between the campus and the Arts Centre on a daily basis. Bus services from Ilam to the city are very regular, with pick-up points on Ilam Road, Creyke Road and Clyde Road. A bus stop near the corner of Oxford Terrace and Montreal Street is just a few blocks away from the Arts Centre. This minor inconvenience versus the major benefits is appreciated by the likes of the University of Canterbury Students’ Association which supports the proposal, and understands that timetabling would incorporate any need for travel.