Dear Mayor and Councillors of Benalla Rural City Council,

We request the Council suspend the proposed cinema and café project of the Visitor Information Centre Redevelopment project.

The reasons for this demand is:

• BPACC cinema’s average attendance is 26 people per show, it is losing $200,000-$300,000 per year, and the Council hasn't shared any financial plans with Benalla residents for the proposed cinema. Please share the feasibility study to show how building a new luxury cinema with a cafe would change this continual drain on our finances. Please provide the community with financial projections to prove the viability of this project before spending OUR money.
• The drains, footpaths, roads, and cycleways in Benalla Rural City Council are crumbling, don’t meet safety requirements, and have been identified as a hazard. People have sustained serious injuries tripping on footpaths that are uneven and broken and there is no plan to commit the funds needed to fix this. We need to invest roads, footpaths, cycle ways, drainage, sporting facilities, parks and more outdoor activities in a time like this with constant lockdowns and restrictions so that residents across the council can safely exercise.
• Our small business owners of cafes, pubs and restaurants are struggling with current conditions to make ends meet and save jobs. Please don’t add pressure on small businesses by building more council cafes without consulting hospitality business owners.
• Is it fair to spend this much money in the city of Benalla when towns like Swanpool, Tatong, and Baddaginnie don't even have footpaths or fun and safe public spaces for kids to play?
• Residents of Benalla haven’t had any opportunity to have our say in this project. We understand it is a requirement of the Local Government Act 2020 to consult and empower (IAP2 principles) the community in projects like the proposed cinema and cafe, so please suspend the proposed project and listen to residents.