Premiere plan for Callan Park film hub

EXCLUSIVE

Gordon Andersen wants Rozelle’s Callan Park to become one of Australia’s premiere film production hubs.

The film unit manager, who is currently renting the abandoned Callan 201 building for use as a production studio, has approached the State Government about repairing further parts of the site and expanding operations.

Mr Andersen said Callan Park could provide much-needed space and infrastructure for the production and post-production of Australian television and film.

“There’s nothing like it around in the southern hemisphere, only the European countries have film production hubs,” Mr Andersen said. “This space is perfect for it.”

The future of Callan Park has been debated since the last doors were closed on Rozelle Hospital in 2008. An initial State Government proposal to develop apartments on the site was widely opposed. A master plan was drafted by the “Friends of Callan Park” residents’ group, supported by Leichhardt Council and submitted to the Department of Planning in November 2011. It cost a total of $1 million to produce and awaits a decision from the state government.

Mr Andersen began renting a compound within the Callan 201 building in 2009 to support his work as a unit manager for film and television production. In late 2012 he saw the opportunity to expand by renovating the entire building, which currently acts as a production base for the second series of Australian TV drama Redfern Now.

Before the crew could move into Callan 201, Mr Andersen personally paid for major repair work including plumbing, repainting and restoring the ceilings. A letter he received from the Heritage Council of NSW notes “the amount of positive work you have undertaken to bring this neglected building back into a state where it can be and is being used and maintained”.

But Mr Andersen does not have a formal lease for the site – rather, he has an agreement with the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, which is responsible for the administration of Callan Park. The agreement stipulates he would lose access to the site if and when the master plan is approved.

Now he is asking for support to remain in the park and begin repurposing other abandoned buildings. The site is ideal, he says, because it offers ample storage space, easy access for vehicles, proximity to Sydney infrastructure, and is away from residents’ dwellings.

“We’re not a 9 to 5 business, we’re not a manufacturing plant – we’re a production office that goes and shoots out on location every day and comes back at night,” Mr Andersen said.

“Post-production is a very big area, and it’s a really important industry and brings in a lot of money.”

Such facilities are limited in Sydney, he explains, because Fox Studios is inaccessible for smaller productions, and other spaces are insufficient and scattered among “a multitude of back-alley jammed areas” across the city. The nearby Canal Road Film Centre in Leichhardt is one such space and Mr Andersen says it is “well over 100 per cent full down there”.

For the government, the likely drawcard of Mr Andersen’s proposal is his promise to fund it entirely through private money from the film industry. Council’s master plan calls for a $300 million investment by the State Government in order to return mental health rehabilitation to the site, at a time when budget constraint is being practised on Macquarie Street.

The Friends of Callan Park acting President, John Stamolis, said people had been “generous” to allow Callan 201 to be used for film production, because “commercial activity is not permitted under the act”.

He said Mr Andersen’s presence would have to be reconsidered when the master plan is approved.

“When the new state of play comes in, there may have to be renegotiations.”

Mr Stamolis is confident the NSW Government will lend its support to the plan, which was submitted more than 18 months ago.

“I’m getting signs that…the minister has an opinion on certain parts of the master plan, and we’re looking forward to hearing what those are,” he said. “We’re hoping that it’s not too far down the pipeline.”

The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority did not respond to individual questions but issued a summary response.

“The Minister is currently considering an independent review of the council’s draft master plan,” a spokesman said. “No additional proposals are being considered.”