Ray Walsh House activation ideas sought
As part of the extensive research being undertaken to develop an options paper about the future of Ray Walsh House, Tamworth Regional Council has today issued an Expressions of Interest (EOI).
The aim is to seek out parties “with appropriate financial resources, insurances and legal status” which are interested in entering into negotiations with Council “with a view to exploring and developing” with a proposal to activate Ray Walsh House.
“The EOI is one part of the fact finding needed to ensure the options paper takes an accurate and broad look as to how Ray Walsh House may be activated,” Mr Bennett said.
“The intention is to cast a wide net in order to be open to a range of scenarios in addition to the remediation and refurbishment of the building or its potential sale.
“While the EOI makes it clear that no proposal including a service station, supermarket or combination thereof will be considered – we don’t otherwise want to limit the ideas or concepts parties may have.
“This is a genuine and transparent process about the activation of the site as a whole.
“There are some constraints of that site with substations and accessways for other properties, so it will take someone with real vision.
The 22-page EOI sets out how “Council is interested in all proposals for the sale and proposed use of the building which may include demolition and/or the leasing of office space back to Council under a long term lease arrangement”. Guidelines are included about what submissions must address.
The document states “formal approval” for the activation of Ray Walsh House will rest with Tamworth Regional Councillors - the community’s elected representatives.
The EOI has today been published on Tenderlink – an online platform which is regarded as Australasia’s largest tender marketplace and Council’s website. It will also be advertised in multiple Australian metropolitan newspapers.
“We want to find industry experts who may have innovative viable concepts for the future of the site,” Mr Bennett said.
Expressions of Interest will be open until 26 June, 2025. To view the EOI, go to: www.tamworth.nsw.gov.au/eoi
The former administrative headquarters of the Council in Tamworth’s main street has been vacant since late 2022. The air conditioning system servicing three of the five floors of the building had failed and friable asbestos was subsequently discovered in the Vermiculite fire protection sprayed on all structure steel floor members. With the safety and wellbeing of staff the primary concern, there was a staged relocation of workers from the premises to multiple sites in the Tamworth CBD.
Councillors resolved last year at the 28 May Ordinary Meeting for General Manager Paul Bennett to develop an options paper.
They also agreed the options paper would be subject to “broad community consultation and all documents associated with it would be made available for public scrutiny”.