Marton Civic Centre

December 2022

Council met recently to discuss the findings of the Better Business Case that was conducted for the Marton Civic Centre project.

The new Civic Centre was intended to be a space that brings the community and council-owned facilities together in one place - including Marton's library, information centre, council headquarters and emergency operations centre.

The Better Business Case helped us to outline the key information about our project, including why our project is necessary, how much it could cost, how it could benefit our community, and the potential options we have to choose from.

Council was presented with three options including building a brand new civic centre, restoring and renovating the heritage buildings in town, and doing nothing (except earthquake strengthening RDC’s current facilities).

If the council does not choose to renovate the existing heritage buildings, it is important to note that we would still be required to make further plans in regards to the heritage buildings, which includes many options such as selling, restoring, demolishing, and leasing.

Out of the three options that were presented, only one option fit within the budget allocated for this project within the Long Term Plan; this was the ‘do nothing’ option.

Elected members were asked to determine whether they would be willing to fund one of the bigger projects or if we should proceed with the ‘do nothing’ option. Council also requested staff to investigate a change in scope option which is upgrading the existing facilities at 46 High street and the current Library building. This new option will be taken back to council early 2023 and Council will decide on the options that will be presented in the public consultation in April 2023.

Watch this space for more information.