Esplanade Mall redevelopment welcomed

Whakatane District Council and arts and culture stakeholders have welcomed the Council’s decision to purchase and redevelop a property on the Esplanade Mall (former Briscoes) into a public library, museum and exhibition space.

The Council’s Deputy Mayor Graeme Hanlen says it is pleasing that a decision has been made which enables both staff and the community to look forward to improvements in facilities and services.

He says the choice of building supports the Town Vision plan to restore connection with the Whakatane River (Ohinemataroa), create a vibrant and active environment and establish a community/cultural heart within the town centre.

“It’s been a long debate that has reached a good conclusion. The Councillors are very grateful to staff for the amount of work and research that has gone into the project so far, which allowed us to make a well-informed decision,” Cr Hanlen adds.

President of the Friends of the Library Win Mitchell says she is very happy with the decision. “It can only be seen as a positive move. The combined library, museum and gallery displays will add a new dimension to each of them and the development will bring life to that part of the town.”

Whakatane District Community Arts Council Chairperson Sue Whale agrees, adding that a combined library, museum and gallery space will attract more people in the first instance and encourage them to spend more time in the facility.

Vice-President of the Whakatane Historical Society, Warner Haldane says he is pleased a decision had been made and Society members will look forward to improved access to the archives and historical collections.

The purchase of the building was completed earlier today (Monday 07 September 2009), and follows a decision made by the Council at its meeting on 26 August which was chaired by Cr Hanlen after Mayor Colin Holmes declared an interest and took no part in the discussions.

At that time the Council also reaffirmed an earlier decision to convert the existing museum building in Boon Street into a collections storage, archive and research facility.

In reaching its decision, the Council considered the favourable location of the building, its suitability for redevelopment and the accessibility of parking. It is envisaged that with a partial mezzanine floor the Esplanade Mall building will deliver 1.5 times the floor space of the current library, museum and gallery exhibition areas. The redevelopment will encompass the council-owned area which links through to New World Whakatane, The Warehouse and car park.

“The building provides the best flexibility for the project because it is effectively a blank canvas on which to create the best design for an exciting library and display space,” Cr Hanlen adds.

The next stage in the project plan is to engage an appropriate specialist architect to develop a design, followed by a consent application and building tender process, through to the construction phase and commissioning. Alongside these aspects will be a major fundraising programme to secure the additional budget required for the project. The Council agreed to fund $3.25 million in the 2009/10 year towards the project and it is estimated that an additional $3.5 million will need to be raised from external funding sources.

“We recognise that the community is eager to know when these new services will be available but at this stage there are simply too many undetermined factors to be able to put a timeline for the project in place. We will be in a better position to give an indication of dates for project milestones over the coming months,” Cr Hanlen concludes.