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Planned refurbishments of Orewa Library, including roof repairs, are on the back burner while Auckland Council considers the future of the building.
That future could include redeveloping the library so it can also be used as a community centre and provide a base for the local board.
At a Hibiscus and Bays Local Board workshop last month, Council’s property arm, Panuku Development, asked for members’ views. The local board must give approval before any investigation of the options takes place.
Panuku’s property asset portfolio specialist, Perwez Abdullah, said the ‘optimisation’ process that could be initiated is about “identifying opportunities to unlock value from under-performing assets”, at no cost to ratepayers.
The process is market driven, he said, and may include things such as relocation of services with the vacant asset then being sold and money used to fund an upgraded facility; or the sale of ‘airspace’ and redevelopment creating a new, mixed use asset.
Orewa Community Centre, as well as the library, could potentially be included in Panuku’s investigation.
Local board chair Gary Brown and member Andy Dunn said that creating this type of multi-use hub should have been looked at before Council chose to sell Orewa Service Centre in Centreway Road.
“That could have been redeveloped into a library, community centre, parking and space for the local board,” Mr Brown said, “then the library could have been sold.”
Members directed Panuku to come back with a report outlining the costs of any investigation work, so that members can make an informed decision as to whether or not to take the process any further.
Orewa Service Centre was sold earlier this year and Council has a lease from the owner that will keep services there until 2022/23, after which the local board and Council’s services will need to relocate.
