Western Australia’s Metro Inner Development Assessment Panel (MIDAP) approved a reported $25 million Aquinas College development on 10 October 2024. The approval covers a new music and performing-arts centre as well as hockey facilities, replacement tennis courts and campus parking changes. Aquinas College says construction has begun and currently plans to open its arts centre in 2027.
What MIDAP approved
The application, made by Encon Project Management, described a wider campus development rather than a standalone recital hall. PerthNow’s report on the 10 October 2024 approval put the project value at $25 million; that is a reported development value, not a verified final contract cost. PerthNow’s approval report
- A recital hall and music centre with offices, tutorial rooms and practice rooms.
- A hockey building with a lounge, uniform shop and kitchen.
- A “university centre” where students could speak with universities and TAFEs.
- Relocation of the existing tennis courts and construction of 12 replacement courts.
- Reconfiguration of the northern carpark to add two car bays.
The approval coverage quoted a Christou Design Group report describing a goal of creating a modern entry statement and supporting teaching, learning and community engagement. It also characterised the development as one of the school’s most substantial projects in four decades; the report does not identify an individual speaker for that description. PerthNow’s approval report
What the arts centre is planned to include
Aquinas College now presents the performing-arts portion as the Aquinas Centre, with the McMillan Recital Hall and Music School as its principal elements. The college describes tutorial rooms, recording studios and practice areas alongside the hall. It says the venue is intended for performances, assemblies, lectures, presentations and community events. Aquinas College’s Bravo! Arts Appeal
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#1 Best Overall
- P/V/G
- Pages: 104
- Instrumentation: Piano/Vocal/Guitar
Hall capacity: the published figures differ
PerthNow’s October 2024 account of the approved proposal says the recital hall would seat 650. Aquinas College’s later appeal page describes seating for more than 700 guests. Those figures are not reconciled in the available descriptions, so neither should be treated as a definitive current capacity. PerthNow’s approval report · Aquinas College’s Bravo! Arts Appeal
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Aquinas College says construction has begun and describes excavation at the former tennis courts. Its project update names Encon, Focus and Christou as project partners. The college gives 2027 as the Aquinas Centre’s planned opening year; this is a target, not confirmation of a completion date. Aquinas College’s construction update · Aquinas College’s Bravo! Arts Appeal
Quick Recap
Rank #2
- Format: Book
- Version: Piano/Vocal
- Instrument: Piano/Vocal
- Genre: Broadway
- Category: Personality Book
How the project descriptions fit together
| Project detail | 2024 approval coverage | Later college description |
|---|---|---|
| Arts facility | Recital hall and music centre with offices, tutorial rooms and practice rooms. Source | Aquinas Centre, including the McMillan Recital Hall and Music School, tutorial rooms, recording studios and practice areas. Source |
| Hall capacity | 650 seats, as reported by PerthNow in October 2024. Source | More than 700 guests, as described on the college’s later appeal page. The discrepancy is unexplained. Source |
| Other campus works | Hockey building, university centre, 12 replacement tennis courts and two additional car bays through northern carpark reconfiguration. Source | Not stated in the cited arts-centre appeal description. Source |
| Timing | Approval reported on 10 October 2024. Source | Construction underway; planned opening in 2027. Source · Source |
What is not yet established
- The $25 million figure is the value reported in 2024 coverage; the available sources do not establish the final contracted cost.
- The college’s stated 2027 opening target does not provide a detailed completion date.
- The available descriptions do not explain the difference between 650 seats in the approval report and more than 700 in later college material.
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