Making Brookvale B.A.D. Again

ESTABLISHED AS FARMLAND IN THE MID-1800S, BROOKVALE HAS DEVELOPED INTO A VITAL CENTRE OF BUSINESS FOR JUST ABOUT EVERY CONCEIVABLE TRADE, BUILDING, MANUFACTURING AND AUTOMOTIVE ACTIVITY. IT’S ALSO THE CELEBRATED HOME TO THE AUSTRALIAN SURFBOARD INDUSTRY AND MORE RECENTLY HAS BECOME AN ARTS, INNOVATION AND CREATIVE BUSINESSES HUB.

BROOKVALE ARTS DISTRICT // PHOTO BY KAYAPA CREATIVE STUDIO LUCI HASSEN UNIK SPACE AT THE PLANT ROOM // PHOTO BY KAYAPA CREATIVE STUDIO

EVERGREEN MUSIC // PHOTO BY KAYAPA CREATIVE STUDIO

These days you literally cannot go half a block in Brookvale without coming across a local vendor, brewing or baking up an innovation. Amongst this, artists, fi lmmakers and musicians front up for morning coffee alongside mechanics, fabricators, engineers and arborists. It may seem impossible to acknowledge the manifold talents that make up the Brookvale landscape but Brookvale Arts District (BAD), in essence, does just that.

BAD is a rapidly growing coalition of individuals, companies and institutions who’ve come together to make sure the suburb’s key creative and industrial fabric is successfully integrated with future development of the area.

So the Brookvale community, which has been celebrating its secret culture for many years, now has a unifying voice and vision.

BAD is represented by three of its founding members, and local business owners, John Meredith from The Plant Room, Lara Allport from The National Grid and Miguel Gonzales from La Crème Creative.

“The folk from BAD live, love and breathe Brookvale which means we’re intimate with its rich heritage and extraordinary assets, and we truly understand its potential as a striking example of integrated regenerative urbanisation,” says John, who is the inaugural President of Brookvale Arts District Inc.

“We see Brookvale becoming a remarkable and globally relevant campus of diverse activities: lightindustrial, commercial, residential, recreational and creative,” adds Lara.

The BAD organisation is currently working, in concert, with urban planners, designers, architects and property investment funds to ensure BAD can play an active role in contributing to ongoing development of the Brookvale Structural Plan.

ANNA, DARCY AND KARA PERFORMING // PHOTO BY KAYAPA CREATIVE STUDIO

BAD has also been working closely with James Griffi n, MP who recently facilitated very successful meetings between BAD, DNSW and Create NSW. “James is an incredible advocate of the Brookvale Arts District initiative and with his support we expect you’ll be seeing some very cool and rather tasty events coming to Brookvale in the near future,” declares Miguel.

BAD has also been in discussions with Zali Steggall as well as Michael Regan and Northern Beaches Council, all great supporters of the initiative.

Brookvale is a crucible of inventive creativity and BAD aims to share this with the greater Sydney community, indeed, the world. •

JOIN THE MOVEMENT.

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