Civic House favoured as council prepares to choose hub location
Redeveloping Civic House was the favourite choice among submitters for Nelson’s new Civic Hub, with councillors set to choose between three locations next week.
Meanwhile, concerns over the future of The Free House pub on Collingwood St featured in about 35% of submissions, a Nelson City Council statement on Friday revealed.
The council has been consulting on the three options for its new Community Hub, Library and Civic Hub.
These include to redevelop Civic House and the adjoining Savings Bank and State Advances sites, or build facilities for all services on either Collingwood or Church streets.
The council said it received 1417 submissions during consultation, with 62.5% of those expressing a preference for Civic House.
Photo: Nelson City Council
This was compared with 24.5% for Church St and 13% for Collingwood St.
Councillors are set to select a preferred location at the full council meeting on Thursday, November 5. It said there was no preferred location recommended by council staff.
The three proposals carried indicative upfront costs ranging from $73.3 million to $88.2m, although the designs and estimates remained preliminary.
The Free House pub, which would be affected under the Collingwood St site option, featured in about 500 submissions, with many concerned about its future – approximately 35% of the total.
The council said it had already budgeted $68.4m for the project. Depending on the location, additional annual rates at their peak would range from $24 to $71 for an average residential property.
Next week’s decision would not automatically authorise the sale of any council property, the council said.
Civic House would be retained under Option 1. Its potential sale under Options 2 or 3, and any proposed sale of the Elma Turner Library property, would require a separate council decision.
Further opportunities for the community to contribute to the detailed design and operation would be given as the project progressed.
Redeveloping Civic House would cost an estimated $73.3m, making it the cheapest option upfront and over 20 years. However, about 320 staff would be required to relocate twice over an estimated 41-months.
The existing buildings also presented redevelopment constraints, potential defects and flood risks, council said.
A purpose-built facility on Collingwood St would cost $74.1m and offer greater design flexibility, but ongoing ground lease payments to Wakatū Incorporation would make it the most expensive option long-term.
The $88.2m Church St proposal would create a new facility near Nelson Provincial Museum, potentially forming a cultural precinct, but had the highest upfront cost.
An alternative Church St design raised during submission hearings could reduce costs, but required further investigation.
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