Artsource wins three-year lease for Vincent’s Fitzgerald Street arts site

The City of Vincent has approved a three-year lease for Artsource at Halvorsen Hall and Lee Hops Cottage, with rent set at $4,000 a year plus GST and an option for a further two years.

The lease covers the two City properties at 176 Fitzgerald Street, Perth. The rent will be reviewed against the consumer price index each year.

At the same briefing, Vincent adopted an amended Property Management Policy and an associated list of Council-approved leases and licences. The policy sets the rules for managing City property leases and licences, including the Artsource agreement.

Halvorsen Hall will be used for artist studios, workshops, exhibitions, cultural activities, performances, training programs, meetings, arts-related storage and other approved arts and community uses.

Artsource, formally The Artists' Foundation of Western Australia Limited, will use Lee Hops Cottage for administrative offices, meeting space and artwork production. The cottage is heritage-listed and must remain substantially in its current condition.

Walls, doors, windows, floors, ceilings and verandahs cannot be altered. Any fit-out at the cottage requires the City's written approval, and additional plumbing, electrical or communications infrastructure also requires approval. Artsource must hold public liability insurance of at least $20 million for each claim.

The tenant will provide one skills-development opportunity for creatives and two community arts and culture opportunities each year. It will also create an artist studio program offering one selected artist free access to a studio for a defined period.

The lease will start the day after the City completes works at Halvorsen Hall. Those works include installing a security alarm, checking external lighting, installing air conditioning, replacing or repairing kitchen and bathroom fixtures and making sure electrical services and other fittings are safe and operational.

The City will negotiate the final lease terms with Artsource. During the possible two-year option period, Vincent can require the tenant to surrender the lease with at least 12 months' notice if the property is sold, redeveloped or demolished, or can no longer be maintained in a safe and occupiable condition.