Roxburgh Entertainment Centre concept design underway

Community members from across Roxburgh and the wider Teviot Valley have shared their ideas and aspirations for the Roxburgh Entertainment Centre rebuild through a series of workshops and feedback opportunities held in early August, drawing feedback from over 70 people either in person or via survey.

Athfield Architects – appointed to the project in June – met with the Teviot Valley Community Board, the REC Project Steering Group, the Roxburgh Entertainment Centre Improvements and Promotion committee (RECIP), students and teachers at Roxburgh Area School, and members of the public during August to hear directly about what the community wants from their new building.

The feedback is now being tested against technical site information and budget requirements to develop high-level concept options. These will be presented at community workshops on 16 and 17 September, with consultation open for two weeks from Friday, 18 September via an online survey on Let’s Talk or hard copy.

Athfield Architects Project Leads John McIntyre and Andre Bishop said the engagement gave them valuable insight into what the community wants from a future facility, with input reaching them from long-standing locals, young people, community groups, and project shareholders alike. They said the open, collaborative discussions made clear just how important this project is to Roxburgh.

Project Steering Group chair Curtis Pannett said the workshops were productive and drew a wide range of views from across the community.

"We've heard a lot of positive feedback about Athfield – people are picking up on how well they seem to understand the project and the community's priorities. It’s clear every voice that came through the workshops, surveys, and meetings has helped shape where this goes next, and the Project Steering Group is really pleased with progress so far and looking forward to seeing the work continue," he said.

Throughout the engagement process, it became clear that this isn't just about replacing a building – it's about striking the right balance for a small rural community. Feedback showed a strong desire for a facility that's flexible enough to support everything from funerals and school productions to indoor bowls, rather than one large space that only comes alive for a handful of events each year.

Athfield Architects will now refine these ideas into concept options ready for the September workshops, where the community will have the chance to see them and share what resonates before a final concept direction is settled.

Council thanks everyone who took the time to share their thoughts, ideas and stories – this input is shaping every stage of the design process, and there will be further opportunities to have a say as concept options are developed.

Register on Let’s Talk to stay up to date with progress on the project and future feedback opportunities.

Key takeaways (full details in the engagement report on Let's Talk):

• Flexible space over a single large hall. Community gathering space was consistently rated as important across all engagement channels, with clear support for subdividable, multi-purpose spaces rather than one large, fixed hall.
• An auditorium is important. While there was discussion over the appropriate size of an auditorium there was real recognition that the auditorium space is critical to the building programme and provides differentiation and a reason for people to come to Roxburgh.
• Acoustics matter. Quality and character of acoustics was named repeatedly as the old building’s greatest strength, and separately raised as central to what success looks like in the new facility.
• Indoor sport came up independently across all engagements. Indoor bowls, a gymnasium, and courts were each raised, suggesting this is a cross-generational priority.
• Regular use matters as much as capacity. The old building’s main weakness wasn’t size but how often it sat unused. Regular programming and activation rated as highly as major one-off events.
• Family and youth-oriented space is a consistent ask from the community.