It has a rating of two-and-a-half stars on Trip Adviser despite hosting a comedy festival and speigeltent in recent weeks, but Canberra's Civic Square could be in for a makeover.
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The ACT's City Renewal Authority has called for tenders to create an action plan to redevelop the Civic arts and cultural precinct.
The precinct - which is east of City Hill bounded by Vernon Circle and London Circuit - is home to the Canberra Theatre Centre and Playhouse, the Canberra Museum and Gallery, the ACT Legislative Assembly and a government office block and hotel being built by Terry Snow's Capital Property Group.
It also includes a government car park earmarked for mixed-use development, and is next to another car park set aside for a future convention centre.
However, in the tender documents, the City Renewal Authority says the area is a "missed opportunity".
"The precinct is centred on Civic Square which is of cultural significance to the Canberra community. However, the precinct as it stands is characterised by buildings of low scale, coarse grain, with little opportunities for spillage or activation of Civic Square which is poorly used, in part, due to few active frontages," the documents read.
"With work commenced on the new government office building, and the proposed redevelopment of the Canberra Theatre, an opportunity presents itself to prepare a framework to ensure these developments are integrated with thinking around a broader precinct."
The documents say the City Renewal Authority understands the government is likely to procure a consultant to develop a business case to redevelop the theatre centre early next financial year.
They state the government is looking at possibly relocating the Civic Library.
However City Renewal Authority chief executive Malcolm Snow said no decision had been made yet to move the library.
"The aim of the project is to promote uses of the precinct that contribute to it being a vibrant and active cultural precinct," Mr Snow said.
"It is necessary to identify and assess existing land-use and accommodation functions so that options can be developed to amend, supplement, or re-configure them to encourage activation of the precinct consistent with those objectives."
That would include looking at alternate uses for North building, which houses CMAG, he confirmed.
Mr Snow said the successful tenderer would also be asked to explore different uses for the government car park across from the Sydney building as part of the work.
He said that car park was the only part of the Civic arts and cultural precinct that had been identified for future release.
The successful tenderer will need to draw on other reports done on revitalising the precinct in recent years, including the 2009 Canberra Theatre feasibility study, the 2011 draft conservation management plan for Civic Square and the 2013 Civic Square Precinct Future study.
They will also have to seek heritage advice, as Civic Square and parts of the North and South buildings have been nominated for listing on the ACT Heritage Register.
Ultimately, the successful tenderer will have to create a "place plan" that creates a unique identity for the precinct, outlining its look and feel, and set out short, medium and long term strategies to make it happen.
They will have to come up with at least three design options, identify ways to improve laneways in the precinct and work with the City Renewal Authority place-making and activation program to bring life to the area.
The chronically-underutilised Civic Square has been a hive of activity in recent months.
In February, it was a part of the footprint for the National Multicultural Festival, and last month the Canberra Comedy Festival spilled out into the square, wit food and drink trucks, picnic tables on fake grass and a gelato limosine.
Now, the Speigeltent Canberra is set to host cabaret, comedy and music acts in the square for the next three weeks.
