THERE will be no more dining in a marquee next to the Gladstone Entertainment Centre for big functions in years to come with the announcement of an extension of the centre.

Mayor Gail Sellers said the extension, part of a $30 million redevelopment of the centre to be jointly funded by Gladstone Ports Corporation, the State Government and council, would result in a 1000 person flat floor venue on the car park side of the building.

In the past, events such as the Yaralla Sports Star awards and the 2010 Rock Building Society CQ Southern Great Barrier Reef Tourism Business Awards.

“We are going to have a 1000-people flat floor venue,” she said.

“You will have noticed we have been using the marquee out to the side of the entertainment centre and its been used a lot. It hasn’t been taken down, I don’t think, for about four months, and so you can see the need is there, so we will certainly make good use of the flat floor venue.”

Council has been working on plans for the extension for a number of years, but thanks to the Ports Corporation agreement, it will be funded at no cost to ratepayers.

“People arriving in Gladstone will need access to entertainment and this is the perfect venue,” Cr Sellers said.

“It’s almost perfect now. We just need an extension for the flat floor.”