Agenda of Community Services Committee

Community Services Committee – 14 June 2017 – Open Agenda

Agenda Items

1. Taradale Community Rooms Refurbishment Proposal

*Type of Report:*	Operational
*Legal Reference:*	N/A
*Document ID:*	341015
*Reporting Officer/s & Unit:*	Natasha Carswell, Manager Community Strategies

1.1 Purpose of Report

To seek Council’s approval to continue to use the Taradale Community Rooms, once refurbished, to accommodate community groups, with the building to be used as transitionary or permanent accommodation for the Napier Community Hub and to investigate the potential for the rooms becoming a multi-use community centre in the future.

Officer’s Recommendation

That Council

a. Approve that the Taradale Community Rooms continue to accommodate the community groups, with Napier Community Hub tenants given priority, and

b. Note that further investigation will be undertaken to determine how the rooms could be run as a multi-use community centre in the future.

CHAIRPERSON’S RECOMMENDATION

That the Council resolve that the officer’s recommendations be adopted.

1.2 Background Summary

The Taradale Community Rooms are one of seven community hall facilities owned by Council. Most recently, the rooms have been leased as office space to a few community organisations. Since 2015, when the last tenant vacated, the rooms have been hired out on a casual basis for meetings. This situation presented Council with the opportunity to identify options for future use that would optimise the utilisation of the building and benefits to the community.

The building is well maintained externally and in keeping with the adjacent Taradale Town Hall. The size and location of the building lends itself to providing a facility for small-scale local community use. The building has an overall assessment of 73% NBS, with no strengthening necessary. However, the interior of the building is dated, unappealing and lacks flexibility of use in its current configuration. The building is oriented to Lee Road, which has become a busy road with a no stopping zone, limiting access to the building through its main entrance.

Council allocated $300,000 to refurbish the building in its Long Term Plan. Some funding has been used to conduct an assessment of the options (attached), leaving $280,000 in the 2017/18 year to complete the refurbishment.

1.3 Issues

Community need

The assessment found that Taradale and its surrounds is well served by community facilities and no clear need could be identified. However, through the community engagement, a range of potential uses emerged, with the most popular being:

 A multi-purpose community centre;

 Local heritage museum; or

 A youth centre.

There was a concerted effort made to seek support for the heritage museum concept from the operator of the Gypsy Rose Tea Museum. However, since the completion of the assessment, the operator has advised that his focus is to relocate the current operation rather than expand into a Taradale Heritage Museum. The Taradale Plunket Rooms may offer a more appropriate site for this. This option is being investigated with the operator. The Plunket Rooms requires some structural strengthening. The strengthening work and necessary internal upgrade (estimated to cost up to $100,000) can be carried out within existing budget.

While the youth centre idea was popular with younger members of the community, the Police and the Taradale Marketing Association expressed concerns. Council continues to support the ‘pop-up’ youth venues which has proved a low risk, popular and enduring concept.

The engagement process also identified there was low awareness of the rooms but there was strong interest to keep the rooms available for community use.

Community Hub

The Napier Community Hub (the Hub) is located in a privately owned building in Raffles Street, Napier. The Council holds the head lease and subleases to a number of community groups. This arrangement has been in place for 10 years. Council relocated the Citizens Advice Bureau to the Hub following a poor structural assessment result at the Memorial Square Community Rooms where it had been located. Through their service agreement with Council, they act as the central tenant of the Hub, providing reception services for the other tenants.

The Hub has continually struggled to maintain sufficient occupancy to cover the lease costs. Two years ago, Council reduced the size of the Hub from two floors to one, this reduced Council’s ‘top up’ significantly ($30k per annum). Recently, another tenant has had their government contract terminated and has left the Hub. There are now six tenant groups, they are: Citizens Advice Bureau, Napier Food Bank, Epilepsy Association, Napier Family Planning, Peoples Advocacy Service and Volunteering Hawke’s Bay.

Most community hubs are located in Council owned buildings. This enables security of tenure, reduced costs for community groups (by applying a community discount) and prudent use of Council funds and community facilities. In 2012, Council resolved to move the Hub to the Memorial Square Community Rooms. Unfortunately, this refurbishment and relocation was suspended due to the closure of the rooms following the structural assessment result of 12% NBS. A peer review of the assessment was to be undertaken so the Council could decide the future of the Memorial Square Community Rooms, but this has not been completed due to other Council buildings needing structural assessments and having higher priority. The plan to relocate the Hub to a Council owned facility remains.

Proposed Library Project

The proposal to relocate the Library into a new, purpose-built facility includes the development of partnerships to enhance the services provided from the Library. It is anticipated the Library will act as a community hub in itself. This project offers the prospect to locate the Hub groups within the Library. This concept has been discussed with most of the Hub tenants, the three customer facing groups were enthusiastic about the potential to relocate along with the Library and others to a new facility.

1.4 Significance and Consultation

This refurbishment project was included in the Long Term Plan 2015-25 and therefore did not require another consultation process.

A full community engagement process was undertaken including open days, focus groups, an online survey, social media and other digital formats and a workshop with Ward Councillors and relevant Council staff.

The potential for the Community Hub to move to the Taradale Community Rooms has been discussed with all current tenants. The majority are in favour of this option being further investigated, with a view to relocate either temporarily or for some, permanently. Peoples Advocacy has advised they would like to stay in the City. Napier Citizens Advice Bureau has advised they would prefer to be co-located with the Council but would consider moving to Taradale while the Library project is developed, this option will be investigated alongside the relocation to Taradale Community Rooms.

1.5 Implications

Financial

There is $280,000 allocated in the Long Term Plan for the refurbishment. The initial concept design is estimated to cost $246,575 (includes 15% contingency). This estimate has been reviewed internally, and has been increased to $284,000 to include design and consultancy fees, code of compliance costs and some adjustments to items. The additional $4,000 can be funded through the existing halls budget.

A rental valuation for the building completed in 2016 assessment the market rental to be $11,090 per annum. This will increase following the refurbishment. Currently $2,800 is budgeted for maintenance per annum.

Contribution to relocation costs for the Hub tenants is available through existing budget allocated to supporting the Community Hub.

The lease for the current Community Hub building is due for renewal in July 2017 and will be negotiated according to the results of investigating the relocation of the Community Hub tenants to Taradale Community Rooms (e.g. short term, reduced space, long term).

Social & Policy

Council provides community facilities to provide affordable, accessible and appropriate places for community to meet, recreate and build their own capacity. These facilities are reviewed, as appropriate, to ensure they respond to community need.

Risk

The refurbishment of this building is required to maintain the value of the asset and to increase its use by optimising its configuration and improving its accessibility.

Council’s head lease for the Napier Community Hub is currently $50,000 per annum. There has been a steady reduction in occupancy since its inception ten years ago. Tenants are charged full market rate for the offices they occupy, requiring Council to fund any shortfall from untenanted offices (now $17,000 pa). Attracting new tenants continues to be difficult due to the configuration of the building and low security of tenure (12 month leases).

The proposed Library relocation, should it go ahead, is likely to take at least two to three years.

1.6 Options

The options available to Council are as follows:

1. Refurbish to attain flexible use and improved access (preferred)

a. Co-location for community groups (including Community Hub -transitional), and/or

b. Community Centre

2. Refurbish to lease to community organisations as separate offices and a meeting room (status quo). This has some benefit to community group tenants but does not offer wider community benefit as the building is generally unavailable for community use.

3. Refurbish to lease out to small or currently home based businesses. There was some anecdotal evidence to support this option. However, the propensity for these types of businesses to pay was deemed to be low. Market rental would apply.

1.7 Development of Preferred Option

The refurbishment proposal Concept Plan supports an internal reconfiguration providing four offices (10 workstations) and retains the Council Chamber as a meeting room (capacity 32 people seated). There is opportunity to use the meeting room as office space as well. The reorientation of the entrance provides linkage to the car parking area and to ‘Soda Lane’ (walkway in to the shopping centre). It is a safer and more accessible entrance into the building. The new entrance also allows for a connection to the Taradale Town Hall should it be required in the future.

The old entrance can house a heritage display, acknowledging the history of the building and of Taradale.

This plan provides flexibility in terms of the building’s use. It could accommodate any of the three options above. However, the community feedback received supports the building retaining its community focus but with more accessibility for community use.

a. Community Groups – Community Hub (transitional) – this option allows Council to support community groups by providing low cost accommodation (with community discount) in a community facility. The option to relocate the Community Hub, would mean Council will no longer be required to fund any shortfall in rent to a private landlord and the Taradale rooms will have full occupancy. The building footprint has capacity to house the current tenants. This option has been discussed with Hub tenants and the majority are in favour of the option being investigated further. Several tenants have indicated they would stay permanently as they do not service clients from their offices.

b. Community Centre – this option would require either an anchor tenant, a coordinating agency or for Council to run the centre. This option requires further investigation before an operating model can be recommended. The operation of a community centre would require active coordination of groups and programmes to ensure optimal use. Running the building as a community centre provides for maximum access to the wider community.

Phased approach

This option allows for the building to be used initially to house the Hub (while the Library project is developed) and for the community centre operating model to be investigated with a view to converting the building to a community centre in the future. Should the Library project not proceed, the Hub groups could remain in the rooms.

1.8 Attachments

a Taradale Community Rooms Refurbishment Proposal ⇩

b Taradale Community Rooms Mock up - CAD design ⇩

Community Services Committee – 14 June 2017 – Open Agenda

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1. Purpose of the Report

This report has been prepared to assist Council determine what level of refurbishment is required for the Taradale Community Rooms to ensure it will meet ongoing identified community need. The report provides a concept plan with associated indicative costings, having considered the following information:

 Council’s policy framework;

 Taradale’s community profile (demographics, socio economic status, and existing facility provision);

 Results of community engagement;

 Consideration of options and workshop with Project Working Party; and

 A brief overview of management options.

2. The Project

The Taradale Community Rooms were built in 1933 as the borough council offices for Taradale Council. Since the borough amalgamated with Napier City in 1968, the facility has been used for a wide range of community purposes. Much of the interior has not changed since the borough council days and over time community use has dropped away. The Rooms are currently vacant pending a programmed refurbishment in the 2017/18 financial year and $280,000 has been budgeted for this purpose. Napier City Council have taken this opportunity to investigate options for their future use, and to engage with the community for this purpose.

Building Plan from 1960’s for proposed upgrade of Council offices

Lee Road Frontage Current Rear Access into Council Chambers

3. Key Findings & Opportunities

This report has found that:

1. Taradale is well served by community facilities and while a lot of interest has been shown in using the Community Rooms, no clear need has emerged.

2. The Taradale Community Rooms are a small, centrally located facility, ideal for local use, however their design and function is dated and not well suited to attracting community use.

3. The community have had a low awareness of the Community Rooms as available for community use, and are keen to see them better utilized for community purposes.

4. The Art Deco character of the Community Rooms is important to Taradale residents.

Thus, while well-located, the Rooms will require a clear community purpose, and improved design if they are to succeed as a community facility.

Through the community engagement undertaken, a range of potential uses emerged, with the most popular ideas being a:

 Multi-purpose community centre;

 Local heritage museum; or

 A youth centre.

A number of community organisations also expressed an interest in using the Community Rooms for their own purposes, including the Gypsy Rose Tea Museum (Heritage Museum Trust); School’s Out (a community provider of after-school and holiday programmes); Zeal HB (a local youth programme provider); and Basics 4 Life Ministries.

Napier City Council Community Strategy Team were also interested in exploring the opportunity to provide a community based, small business innovation centre, and possible integration with the adjacent Taradale Hall.

4. Project Working Party Assessment

A Project Working Party comprising Taradale Ward Councillors and a cross section of Council staff members considered emerging options and identified their preferred option for use of the Community Rooms to be a multi-purpose Community Centre available to a wide cross section of the community. They considered the size and location of the Community Rooms as suitable for small scale local community use, and that their art deco character made an important contribution to the heritage of Taradale. They concluded that as a result of the public engagement there would be an expectation that the Rooms would now have a higher profile in the Community, and given the wide range of other opportunities available in the area that dynamic programming and activities would be required to generate good utilization of the facility.

5. Refurbishment Concept

1 Using the above information, James Jack Architects was employed to prepare a refurbishment concept responding to the themes identified in the report. The concept takes into account the community’s desire for the Rooms to be widely available to the community and therefore the need for flexible space, and retains the Art Deco character through minimal change to the exterior.

Proposed Refurbishment

2 It also addresses some practical issues, including relocating the current front entrance on Lee Road to the side of the building (reusing the doors), between the Community Rooms and the adjacent Taradale Town Hall. This positioning integrates better with the carparking area to the rear (where most people access the site from) and provides the option for a future potential link with the Town Hall. The Lee Road front door façade will be retained as a heritage feature with a changeable display space as a point of interest for residents /visitors to the shopping centre (similar to the story boards displayed in Napier’s CBD).

3 The large ‘council chamber ‘space (hall) has been retained but otherwise the space has been reconfigured to provide for a foyer / exhibition space, 3- 4 meeting rooms/ offices and new kitchen and toilet area.

4 The concept also provides for separate lockable areas that can be used independently of each other, which will enable secure night time use and / or separate tenancies.

6. Recommendations

5 The following recommendations are made for the refurbishment of the Taradale Community Rooms:

1. Accept the report from Sage Planning titled ‘Refurbishment Proposal- Taradale Community Rooms.

2. Adopt the refurbishment proposal to provide a flexible multiuse community facility. (as outlined in section 7.2 and Appendix 5 of this report).

3. Liaise with a heritage advisor prior to refurbishing the Community Rooms;

4. Develop a set of guiding objectives for the management of the Community Rooms;

5. Decide facility management and get their input into the final refurbishment design stages.

6. Develop a Council facility strategy for Taradale to maximise community use of Council owned buildings and support the promotion of the Taradale Community Rooms.

7. Continue to liaise with Zeal HB, Heritage Museum Trust, Schools Out and Basics 4 Life Ministries to develop their potential to meet Taradale community needs.

Community Services Committee – 14 June 2017 – Open Agenda

1 Introduction

Community facilities play a vital role in creating healthy communities, enhancing wellbeing, building social networks and providing a resource for training, employment and personal development. The activities supported by these facilities are wide ranging and can include neighbourhood houses, community hubs, youth groups, public meeting spaces, emergency services, community health and aged care services, libraries, schools and recreational facilities. They are important in building strong and resilient communities and need to be both fit for purpose and supported by strong governance.

The Taradale Community Rooms, are one of seven community hall facilities owned by Napier City Council. Located at 7 Lee Road, they were originally the offices of Taradale Borough Council and after local authority amalgamation in 1968, were retained by Napier City for community use. More recently they have been leased as meeting room and office space for community groups and community activities, with the last tenants vacating the building in 2015.

Council funding totaling $279,000 has been set aside in 2016/17 – 2017/18 budgets for this purpose. Napier City Council are taking the opportunity of the building being vacated to consider how it can best meet community needs into the future.

1.1 Study Purpose

The purpose of this study is to assist Council in determining what refurbishments should be made to the Community Rooms. In doing so Council are keen to understand:

 The demographic profile;

 What other community facilities are available;

 What the community think; and

 Any constraints.

Once these matters are understood, the Council want to develop a concept design for the refurbishment and obtain an estimate of cost to achieve this.

1.2 Site and Location

The site of the Community Rooms, legally described as Lot 3, DP22047, comprises an area of 224 m². Its 2014 valuation details show a current land value of $185,000, and $80,000 improvements. The Rooms are located directly adjacent to the Taradale Hall (also owned by Napier City), on the eastern edge of the Taradale CBD (see figure 1 below), in a central position to the wider Taradale area.

Figure 1 Location - Taradale Community Rooms

Figure 2 Lee Road Frontage

1.3 Facility Description

The Community Rooms, together with the Taradale Town Hall, were built after the Napier earthquake in 1933, with a major renovation taking place in 1964. They were refurbished between 1990 and 1995, and its exterior re-painted in 2003.

A structural assessment of the Community Room’s was completed in 2013/14 and no seismic strengthening work was deemed necessary. The floor plan shown in Figure 3 below is the same basic format that remains today, with a main meeting room to the rear (the former council chambers) and office space to the Lee Road frontage. The décor of the Rooms is very dated and the facility lacks flexibility of use in its current format. The current main front doors, opening onto Lee Road, are not well positioned due to their proximity to the busy Lee Road/ Meeanee Road intersection, the narrow footpath in this location and no-stopping along this section of road outside the Rooms. Alternative access, from the service lane at the rear provides a safer option, and is currently the most used entrance, however it leads directly into the main meeting room which potentially detracts from multi use of the building, and also lacks any sense of arrival.

Figure 3 Current access to rear of Community Rooms

The exterior of the Community Rooms retains a strong sense of the buildings art deco heritage, and together with the adjacent Taradale Hall are a strong heritage feature of Taradale. However, much of the interior has been ‘reworked’ over time and many heritage aspects have been lost. The Council Chamber has retained some of its original character, and some of the features such as the central corridor doors could potentially be reused in any refurbishment. There may potentially be other features that are worth
preserving, that have been covered up over time such as floors and ceiling in the Council Chamber.

Figure 4 Proposed Floor Plan of Council Chamber (thought to be around 1964

Figure 5 Community Rooms - Photos

Internal Corridor Front Room Inside Front Entranceway

Rear Entrance (External) Rear Entrance (Internal) Council Chamber

1.4 Facility History and Usage

Originally built for use as the Taradale Borough Chambers they were no longer required for this purpose after amalgamation with Napier City (1968). For a time, the Community Rooms were let to the Taradale Cruse Club, (an international club for widows) followed by Civil Defence who vacated in 1985^{^[1]}. Since then they have been leased to community groups for a variety of community services including Diabetes HB and Lifeline, and casual hire for community activities such as the Taradale Scrabble Club. The last of these groups vacated recently and while the rooms have still been available to book, they have not been promoted pending the proposed refurbishment and consequently have had little use since that time.

2 Council Policy Framework

2.1 Community Facilities Strategy

Napier City Council provide a range of indoor community facilities including sports centres, aquatic facilities, community halls, libraries and housing villages. Their Halls portfolio comprises seven community buildings spread across the City (refer table 1 below). Each facility reflects different management arrangements and respond to the needs of the community they are located in.

Other than Council’s Activity Management Plan for Halls, there is no strategic context /plan for the long- term provision of these facilities, either in terms of their relationship with the community in which they are situated, in relation to each other, or in relation to other Council provided facilities.

Table 1 Council's Hall Portfolio (as provided for in Activity Management Plan for Halls)

Facility	Location / Description	Management	Structural Status
Meeanee Memorial Hall and Meeanee Indoor Sports Pavilion	Meeanee – Built by volunteers in 1956, comprise community hall and kitchen facilities. Used for indoor sports (badminton, bowls) social functions	Managed by separate committees.	Structural strengthening completed.
King George Hall	Bayview – built in 1911, has capacity for 200 people, provides a stage, main hall, and kitchen facilities.	Managed by hall committee.	Structural strengthening completed.
Memorial Square Community Rooms	Clive Square, Napier – currently closed due to structural issues.	Prior to closure, managed by Council.	Closed due to structural issues.
Taradale Plunket Rooms	Taradale - Prior to closure was occupies by Plunket		Closed due to structural issues
Taradale Town Hall	Taradale – The Rotary Lounge, including kitchen facilities (capacity 100 people); Town Hall (capacity 160 people)	Managed by Taradale Rotary. Town Hall Committee objective ‘to see the use of the Hall increased, and at the same time to improve the facilities for the benefit of the local community’.	No structural issues identified.
Taradale Community Rooms	Currently vacant as detailed in this report
Greenmeadows East Community Hall	Tait Drive, Greenmeadows – comprises a main hall, meeting room, and kitchen facilities.	Available for hire. Managed by Council.	Minor structural strengthening scheduled.

2.2 Napier City Council Activity Management Plan (Halls) 2014

Activity Management Plans (AMP) outline the level of service, performance measures and funding methods that Council will apply to its assets or activities over the 10-year life of the Management Plan.

The Council AMP for Halls state that:

10 Activity Goals are:

 To provide, maintain and promote a range of community halls and buildings at an affordable level for the educational, cultural, social and general well-being of the community

 Ensure community halls respond to community needs

11 Specific Objectives are:

 To maintain the venues to an appropriate standard

 To ensure the venues meet public demand

 To maximise the use of Council’s Halls for the benefit of the community

12 Rationale for Activity:

 The seven community halls are hired for recreational, community or leisure related activities. The statutory provision for Council to be in the business of hall hire was originally identified in the Local Government Act 1974.

13 Community Outcomes

The community outcomes to which the Halls activity primarily contributes are:

Figure 6 Community Outcomes (Source: NCC AMP(Halls) 2014

Community Outcomes

How the Activity Contributes

 Safe and accessible recreational facilities

 Supportive, caring and inclusive communities

 Communities that value and promote their unique culture and heritage

By providing communities with a place to come together for meetings and activities.

To provide indoor facilities to assist in meeting the social, leisure and cultural needs of the community with fees aimed at an affordable level.

The AMP does not identify any specific issues in relation to the Taradale Community Rooms but does identify the need for a review of the use of the facility ‘with regard to community need and benefit’^{^[2]} and $280, 000 has been set aside in the Long-Term Plan for its refurbishment.

The AMP anticipates that future demand for this facility and other Council owned halls will be driven mainly by an ageing population, noting also that overall population growth is forecast to be relatively low. It also notes that the current constrained community funding environment, may impact negatively on community organisations resulting in a reduction of facilities. This in turn may place greater demand on Council owned facilities.

In terms of demand the AMP makes the following assumptions:

 The Council will continue to be involved in the provision of halls

 There will be no decline in customer demand for halls

 There will be a small increase in population

 There will be no significant deterioration in the condition or performance of venues due to natural disasters or other unforeseen circumstances

 There will be no significant increase in demand for the next 10 years

 There may be changes in the type of facility to meet community need.

The operating costs of the Halls activity is funded 70-80% by general rates, and 20-30% by fees and charges.

2.3 Napier City Council Annual Plan 2016/17

The Annual Plan identifies the Councils expenditure for the coming year. The draft Annual Plan is currently out for consultation. In this Plan, it identifies that ‘Taradale Community Rooms requires a feasibility study to determine the future use of the facility for the benefit of the community. This study will determine what work will be carried out in the refurbishment project.’

2.4 City of Napier Operative District Plan

The District Plan is Council’s statutory document setting out its integrated management approach to land and associated natural and physical resources within the Napier area.

The site of the Rooms is zoned ‘Suburban Commercial’ as part of the wider Taradale commercial area (refer figure 7 below). The Rooms activity falls within the Plan definitions for ‘community facility’, ‘place of assembly’ or ‘recreational activity’ and while not provided for specifically within this zone is deemed to be a permitted activity by Rule 18.2 that states: ‘Any land use not identified as a controlled activity, a restricted discretionary activity, a discretionary activity, or a prohibited activity elsewhere in this Plan and that complies with all the relevant conditions’ is permitted. Where a proposed activity cannot meet zone conditions then resource consent for a discretionary activity is required.

Relevant conditions include matters such as limits on noise, light spill, vibration and signage. There are no parking requirements for activities in this zone and although the building is recognized as having some heritage merit, there are no current District Plan requirements relating to this site. It is noted however that Council will be undertaking a heritage review in 2017, and the Rooms are listed as a building of potential interest for that review.

Figure 7 Zoning of Taradale Community Rooms & Environs

14

Taradale Community Rooms

2.5 Policy Framework Implications

The Council, through its activity management plans have a philosophy of maintaining their community facilities to a standard that encourages their use by the community. This is combined with a policy of providing affordable access and maximizing community benefit use of these buildings. Recognising that the Rooms are dated and no longer fit for purpose, Council have, through their Annual Plan, set aside funding specifically to refurbish the Rooms.

There are no District Plan constraints preventing the continued use of the Rooms for community purposes, provided the relevant plan requirements relating to noise, vibration, and signage can be met. Being in the Taradale Commercial area, there is no requirement for the Rooms to provide parking. The Rooms currently have no recognised heritage status, although this may change as a result of the pending Council review of heritage buildings.

3 Community Needs Assessment

3.1 Community Profile

3.1.1 Census 2013

For this study, Taradale ward figures from the 2013 Census are used. This includes the census unit areas (CAU) of Taradale, Greenmeadows, Poraiti, Meeanee and Awatoto, comprising a population of 20,910 residents or approximately 35% of the total population of Napier (60,400).

Key demographic features of Taradale ward that are relevant to this study include:

General Demographics

 Ethnicity – The ward population is 86.2% European, 10.9% Maori and 2.9% Asian, Pacific or Other;

 Age – Although the ward has an ageing population, it also has a large proportion of young people (less than 19 years), as shown in figure 8 below;

 Qualifications – Over 70% of the population over the age of 15 hold educational qualifications, above the Napier average. Fewer have no qualifications (20.9% compared to Napier 22.3%).

Figure 8 Age Structure - Taradale Ward

Family Type and Households

Households & Families

 Tenure – There is a high proportion of home ownership (over 70%) and a low proportion private renting (16.5%). Social housing comprises 2.5%. This is a significantly higher homeownership rate and lower rental rate than the Napier City average (home ownership 60 %: private rental 21.6%: social housing 6.5%);

 Size – The dominant household size is 2 persons, higher than Napier (Taradale 39.8%, Napier 36.6%);

 Property value – The average property values for Taradale/Greenmeadows are $356-$359k (Napier $324k);

 Family types – There is a high proportion of couples without children (50.6%) and couple families with child(ren) (35.9%);

Transport

 The main method of travel to work is car truck or van, and the rate of use (69.5%) is slightly higher than Napier City (65.6%). A small proportion of residents’ cycle (2.4%), jog or walk (2.9%) and use of public transport is virtually non-existent. The percentage of residents working from home is the same in Taradale as for Napier City (6%).

Employment and Income

 9,867 people living in the Taradale ward are employed, of which 71% work full-time (Napier city 70%) and 24% part-time. (Napier City 23%).

 The percentage of people involved in some form of unpaid activities is similar in Taradale (89.7%) to Napier City as a whole (89.3%), and almost 15% are involved in voluntary work (14% for Napier City).

 A higher proportion of the Taradale ward population earn in excess of $70, 000 per year compared to Napier City as a whole (16% earn higher than $70k and 20% earn higher than $50k, compared to 15% and 16% respectively for Napier City).

Figure 9 Employment Status (Taradale Ward)

3.1.2 Socio- Economic Status

The New Zealand Socioeconomic Deprivation Index (2013)^{^[3]} combines census data to describe socio economic deprivation at suburb level in New Zealand. While the Taradale Ward generally exhibits low levels of deprivation there are some areas of concern including Taradale South and Awatoto as shown in Figure 9 below.

Figure 10 Deprivation Index- Taradale Ward

17

Taradale North

3.2 Community Infrastructure

18 This section describes other community facilities that are within the area as a basis for understanding the existing range of community services that are provided and any gaps in provision. The level of use of these facilities has not been explored as part of this study, however a web-search identifies that many of these spaces are available for general community use.

3.2.1 Local Community Facilities

Taradale has a good variety of community facilities provided by Council, schools, churches, and other organisations. Those within 600 metres of the community rooms, shown on figure 11 below, include:

1. Taradale Hall (Council owned);

2. St Johns Ambulance (including Hall);

3. Taradale Masonic Village (includes some community space that is made available to the community for a donation);

4. All Saints Anglican Church (including Hall);

5. Taradale Primary School (including Hall);

6. Taradale Library (Council);

7. War Memorial Plunket Rooms (Council owned and currently vacant);

8. Bledisloe Primary School (including Hall);

9. Taradale Community Link (provides social services for senior citizens, Ministry of Social Development);

10. Greendale Tennis Club (Taradale Park);

11. Omarunui Bowling Club;

12. Munro Dance Studio (5 Neeve Road, not shown on figure 11); and

13. St Columba’s Presbyterian Church (176 Gloucester St – not shown on figure 11).

Many of these facilities provide for a wide range of age groups. The churches provide regular youth and senior activities, the library provides for all ages, the school facilities are used for a wider range of community activities in addition to their school functions, and the sports clubs also cater for all ages. In addition, the following Council owned facilities are also located nearby:

 Meeanee Memorial Hall & Meeanee Indoor Sports Pavilion (approximately 3.8 kilometres); and

 Greenmeadows East Community Hall (approximately 2.3 kilometres).

Other important Taradale facilities in the wider area (not shown on figure 11) are:

 Taradale RSA (156 Gloucester St);

 Taradale Club (55 Wharerangi Road ); and

 Taradale Rugby and Sports Club (Tareha Reserve, Guppy Road).

Figure 11 Community Facilities (Local – within 600m)

3.2.2 Regional Facilities

Located just over a kilometre away (Taradale South), is the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT), a tertiary education provider, providing qualifications at certificate, diploma, degree and postgraduate level. Included on site are a number of facilities that are available for community use, including a marae, library and meeting rooms.

Across the road from the EIT is the Pettigrew Green Arena, the regions multi-purpose indoor sports facility providing a sports and events arena, and function / meeting rooms. Sport Hawkes Bay, an on-site gymnasium and a Subway franchise also operate from this facility. An additional multi-use indoor sports facility is currently also being considered for the adjacent site.

3.3 Known Community Demand

To assist in understanding demand for community use of commercial space, advice was sought from Council’s Community Strategies Team and local Taradale commercial Real Estate agent, Kerry Geange of Colliers International^{^[4]}. They provided the following feedback:

Community Strategies Team

 Council’s Community Strategies Team know of at least two community organisations looking for rooms to rent, who would potentially consider locating in Taradale.

 They have also been approached by several interested parties looking for low cost informal business space where home-based business operators can meet and operate.

 The Community Rooms could potentially accommodate 2 or 3 long terms tenants (and have traditionally done so).

Colliers Real Estate

Mr Geange advised that on average, 2-3 enquiries are fielded per year for use of central Taradale commercial space for:

 short term, casual office space; and

 NGO’s charities seeking use of affordable space,

but the biggest issue is the users ‘propensity to pay’ i.e. there’s a disparity between commercial market rates and what people are willing /able to afford.

Mr Geange also advised the following lease rates for Taradale commercial space:

 Low $150 m²;

 Medium $215/$230 m²;

 High $240 - $270 m^2;

 On sunny sideOf Taradale you can add $10- $20 per m².

Taradale is popular for people working from home and there is potentially a demand for a ‘hot-desk’ type situation. Mr Geange’s view is that a ‘hot-desk’ office would likely generate its own market and could be designed to link in with similar hubs around the area e.g. the Biz Hub in Ahuriri.

4 Community Engagement

4.1 Approach

Council’s Community Strategy Team engaged with the community to inform understanding of community needs and develop options for the use of the Community Rooms. Their stated objective for the community engagement was:

‘To provide opportunities for the Taradale community and other stakeholders to provide input into options for the future use of the Taradale Community Rooms.’^{^[5]}

Community engagement opportunities included:

 Two open days – one for young people, and one for the general community;

 Two Focus groups – one for the community sector and one for the business sector;

 An on-line survey that ran for 4 weeks from 7 July to 19 August, 2016;

 Media /Advertising through NCC’s ‘have your say’ page; radio advertising, and at the Taradale Library;

 Social Media – NCC’s facebook page;

 Letter to neighbours inviting them to the open day and advising of events.

 Council Workshop – to consider information and options.

Full results of community engagement are attached as Appendix 1 with key findings summarised below.

4.2 Open Days and Focus Groups

The open day’s /focus groups were held to determine the range of possible options and interest in the future use of the Rooms. Attendance at the open days/forums is as summarised in table 2 below:

Table 2 Open Day / Focus Group Attendance

Session	Attendance
Open Day 1: Saturday 7^th May 2016 (11 am -1 pm)	20 people attended, mixed ages
Open Day 2: Wednesday 11^th May 2016 (3:00 -4:30)	50 people attended, mainly 10 -12 age group
Focus Group 1: 26^th May 2016  Community (4:00 – 5:00pm)	Representatives of HB Red Cross, Taradale Community Development Association, Disability Info Trust and Basics 4 Life Ministries.
Focus Group 2: 26th May 2016  Business Community (5:00- 6:30pm)	Representatives of Taradale Marketing Association, Taradale Community Police; Schools Out; Ward Councillor; …

Ideas generated from these sessions have been grouped into ‘themes’ as summarised in Table 3 below.

Favoured ideas included a youth centre, a heritage museum, a general community centre with programmes and activities and space for community groups to hire.

Other feedback included:

 There are at least four retirement village within walking distance of the CBD and the Community Rooms, and not all of them have their own recreation facilities. It would be good if the Community Rooms could accommodate activities for these residents, maybe by including some storage space as well as activity space;

 There is a small community of international students (associated with the schools and EIT). Some kind of provision for activities or a meeting place for them might work;

 Intermediate aged kids are keen for activities, programmes and spaces to do things;

 Many of the people who visited the Rooms were excited by the space, and hadn’t really realized it was a community facility;

 Most people wanted the Community Rooms retained and made available for community use;

 Some retailers who attended the Business Community Focus Group, expressed concern at the possibility of a Youth Centre, and advocated for strong and active management to ensure it did not result in young people ‘hanging around’ in the area or unwarranted noise and poor behaviour.

Community Services Committee – 14 June 2017 – Open Agenda

4.3 Interest from Community Groups

The community engagement generated interest from a number of organisations looking for space in the Taradale area as follows:

4.3.1 Taradale Heritage Museum and Tea Rooms

The recently established Taradale Heritage Museum Trust, has expressed a keen interest in leasing the Community Rooms as a local heritage museum (including a Tea Museum) and tearooms. Council received an Expression of Interest from the Trust outlining their proposal (attached as Appendix 2).

Key aspects of the Trust’s proposal included re-housing the Tea Museum, currently located on Puketapu Road to the Community rooms to provide a community museum with historical, pictorial and multi-media displays about the history of Taradale and Districts. They envisaged utilising the larger council chamber area to facilitate historical lectures; and providing a local tea rooms. The Trust see this as a potential tourist attraction, and as an ideal use for the Taradale Community Rooms, given its historical character.

The Trust’s Expression of Interest was supported by letters from Taradale Rotary, the Taradale and Districts Development Association and Taradale Marketing Association as well as a petition with 600 signatures.

The Trust advise the Rooms could be easily adapted for this purpose and minimal upgrades would be required, and for this reason this option is viewed as a ‘status quo’ option for development purposes. In reality however, given the poor state of the Community Rooms interior and the original condition of the kitchen and amenities, a considerable upgrade would likely be needed to meet their needs particularly as a commercial kitchen would be required for the Tea Rooms and there may also be specialist requirements for storing of any heritage items.

4.3.2 Zeal HB (Youth Provider)

Zeal HB, has also expressed an interest in the Rooms to run youth targeted programmes and an entrepreneurship and mentoring programme. They currently provide youth programmes and activities at a number of locations around the City, and Taradale with its large youth population would be a good base to operate from. They were also invited to submit an Expression of Interest as part of this process, however to date none has been received. They did make a submission to the 2015/16 Annual Plan requesting Council to support a ‘design box’ concept for youth which was funded by Council.

Should a youth centre option for the Community Rooms be supported by Council, further liaison with Zeal HB is required to understand their vision and refurbishment requirements. However, retaining the large Council Chamber area, and upgrading the kitchen / toilet and office areas would potentially meet their need for programmes and youth development.

4.3.3 Taradale Marketing Association

The Taradale Marketing Association attended one the Community Forums and made a written submission to Council supporting the use of the Rooms for a Heritage Museum as outlined in 4.3.1 above. Alternatively, if that did not proceed, they expressed an interest in occupying part of the Rooms, and as 'anchor' tenant they would manage and encourage use of the remaining space as a business hub. (Refer Appendix 3.3).

Under this scenario, provision of secure independent office spaces and meeting space would be required.

4.3.4 School's Out

Schools Out, a local afterschool care and holiday programme provider, attended one of the Community Forum's to find out about the Community Rooms, and express an interest in finding space to expand their activities. While they considered the space would be ideal for their use, they acknowledged it more likely that Council would want to see the space accessed by a broader cross section of the community. (Refer Appendix 3.4).

Under this scenario, any refurbishment would be minimal as Council would unlikely invest in a business for this purpose. This would be a ‘status quo’ option.

4.4 Small Business Innovation Centre

In addition to the above options, advice was sought from Susan Whyte, Chief Executive of Business Hawke’s Bay regarding a small business innovation center (Refer Appendix 3.2). Business Hawke’s Bay manage the Hawke’s Bay Business Hub located in Ahuriri, which provides a range of business support services to encourage business development in the region. Ms Whyte’s feedback is summarised as follows:

 A local concept could work if there is clearly identified local demand and a well thought through proposal is developed.

 Hawke’s Bay Business Hub would be supportive of a facility that supported small businesses and encouraged innovation, but in addition to clear evidence of demand, it would need to be priced right and be attractive to use.

 A clear purpose is required, and ongoing support to achieve that purpose.

 To be successful appropriate resourcing would also be required to fund a qualified coordinator to drive the project.

 It is not realistic to expect a local business hub to provide a social return to the community (e.g. though teaching young entrepreneurs, or providing mentoring to small business), Small business people are already stretched in terms of getting their business up and running and would need their own support to do so.

Under this scenario, a manager’s office would be required, along with flexible office ‘hot-desk’ space and meeting rooms.

4.5 Community Survey

To further refine the community’s preferred use of the Community Rooms, a feedback survey was posted on Council’s website. Respondents were asked to rank their preference from the following options:

Table 4 Community Survey, Options for Future Use of Taradale Community Rooms

Option	Description
Option 1 - Status Quo	Make minimal improvements and lease to community group for community use. Potential options under this scenario include leasing the Rooms for use as:  Heritage Museum and Tea Rooms.  After School Care and Holiday Programmes.
Option 2- Community Centre	There are a number of options for a community centre including use of the Rooms for programmes and activities as part of a:  Youth Space  General Community Space  Senior Citizens Space
Option 3– Small Business Innovation Centre	There is some support for using the Rooms as a Small Business Innovation Centre providing a hot desk, meeting and innovation space. This option would likely involve lease to an anchor tenant whose role would be to maximise use of the Rooms for this purpose.
Option 4 – Joint Management with Taradale Town Hall	Redesign and connect the Rooms with the Taradale Town Hall for use as ‘overflow’ breakout space.
Option 5 – Demolish Community Rooms and make space available for other uses

The survey was posted on the Napier City Council website for four weeks. 170 responses were received with a high response rate from respondents aged 30 and over (87%), and just over half of respondents being aged between 45 and 65 (51%). The under 30 age group was poorly represented among respondents (13%) and the survey also had a significantly higher proportion of female responses (75%).

Key findings from the survey included:

 A Heritage Museum is highly preferred by those aged 45 and over;

 There is a reasonably high preference across all age groups for a Community Centre;

 There is mixed preference for a small business innovation centre with the older aged respondents favouring this option least;

 The younger respondents favour a community centre with a youth focus;

 There was limited support for a community centre being solely focused for senior citizens;

 There was little current support for integration with Taradale Town Hall; and

 There was little support for demolishing the building.

5 Workshop Assessment

Given the lack of any clearly identified community need, and the high level of community interest in the Community rooms, a Project Working Party comprising Taradale Ward Councillors and a cross section of Council staff was assembled to assist in determining the future direction of the Community Rooms as the basis for developing a refurbishment concept. A workshop was held on 22nd August 2016, and using a decision-making matrix to focus discussion, the Working Party reviewed the options outlined in section 4.5 above.

5.1 Options and Assessment Criteria

Each option was scored against the following criteria to identify the preferred option:

1. Community Benefit–

 Access/use for community

 Sustainability (Operational)

 Flexibility (ability to be used for a range of activities/functions)

 Use of capital funding required

 Responding to community need

2. Effort required –

 Capital costs

 Operational costs for Council and tenant

 Consents /licensing requirements - e.g. building, resource consents, food licensing etc.

 Resource requirements – Council (staff time etc.)

3. Challenge–

 Community opposition

 Attracting occupancy

 Changing demographics

For a full copy of the assessment discussion and scoring refer Appendix 4 - Options Analysis Matrix and workshop notes. The scoring is summarized as follows:

Table 5 Workshop Options Analysis Summary

OPTIONS ANALYSIS
	Key Criteria Scoring: 1 – Poor; 3 – Average; 5 Excellent
Option	Maximised benefits	Effort^{^[6]} to achieve (incl cost)	Challenges / barriers	Total Score
Option 1: Status Quo
Museum	2	(4) 2	2	6
After School Programme	1	(5) 1	2	4
Option 2: Community Centre
General	5	(2) 4	3	12
Youth	5	(2) 4	2	11
Senior	5	(2) 4	3	12
Option 3
Business Centre	2	(4) 2	2	6
Option 4
Integration with Taradale Town Hall	3	(4) 2	2	7
Option 5
Demolish	-	-	-	-

The option to use the TCR as a Community Centre scored the highest, and while the scores reflect an equal preference for a general centre and a centre that serves the senior community, the discussion (summarised below) reflected a preference for a community centre that focusses on all sections of the community.

5.1.1 Comments on Options:

A summary of comments from the workshop, on each of the options is provided below:

Option 1: Status quo

Gypsy Team Museum

 It is an opportunity for people to show their history of Taradale, but this doesn’t necessarily need to be limited to the development of a museum. Can happen in a lot of ways;

 Very selective use of a large building;

 Potentially minimal effort for Council depending on the capacity of the Trust;

 Council would need to carefully consider investing in a community museum given its commitments to MTG and the Faraday Centre;

 Tea rooms/café would require more stringent Building Act standards; and

 Significant investment would be needed e.g. display cabinets etc. to ensure this option is successful.

After School Programme

 Would benefit a smaller section of the community;

 High occupancy;

 May have opposition from community groups that couldn’t access the building;

 May generate opposition from businesses; and

 Potentially would create parking issues (drop off and pick up).

Community Centre

 There does not appear to be a high need for meeting space in the community as there is so much else around, but there may be a need for programmed activities. If its new and up to date it will be attractive, but it will also have to be affordable as there are lots facilities in Taradale offering space for a gold coin donation;

 For a centre to succeed it would need to tap into a latent need in the community. For example, programmes and activities that will create innovation in the community, set around a theme rather than a demographic – e.g. could be senior entrepreneurs, young entrepreneurs; social enterprise etc. Could then bring the different demographics of the community together e.g. young people teaching older people and vice versa;

 This approach could benefit a wide section of the community but the operating model would be very important to the success of this, particularly given there is no clear need emerging form community space in Taradale;

 Providing space is flexible enough could achieve high community use;

 High occupancy should be able to be achieved although may require a ‘catalyst’ to ensure this happens;

 If well used would have minimal opposition;

 Depends on the management model; if leased out could be low effort from Council; but could also require funding assistance of a manager;

 There is opposition to a youth centre from retailers and police, concern that it would create an area for youth to hang around. If it was structured youth focus would that work e.g. Fablab – Masterton; Mindlab Gisborne – Unitec;

 The pop up space for youth is working well, this is a better approach than providing a long term facility; and

 Seniors Space -Doesn’t appear to be a huge demand, and there are a lot of existing facilities that cater to seniors e.g. RSA.

Business Hub

 Could work provided there was an innovation focus that benefitted the community (as opposed to just a general working space for individuals);

 * Would need a ‘catalsyst’ to make it successful and ensure good occupancy;

 Would need to be a funky working space – this may not need to be expensive e.g. shabby second hand or retro;

 Occupancy could be the issue; and

 If its low community benefit this would likely be perceived as a negative.

Integration with Taradale Town Hall

 From a physical perspective this option makes sense;

 Relocating the entrance is a good idea, but having it managed as a single facility probably not necessary;

 If you made it one operation might work from a managerial perspective, but the challenge is the lack of demand;

 Not a lot of effort required for this option, would mainly be a change to the existing lease/management arrangement;

 The challenge for this option is usage / occupancy, is there enough demand to justify this option;

 It could potentially become just further break out space for the existing hall and may not achieve a great deal of usage; and

 There would likely be quite a bit of opposition from potential users who have put their hand up to use the TCR.

Final comments

 The Councillors in the workshop noted that there is a feeling in the community that the outcome is predetermined, and that outcome is that it will be a youth centre, and there has been negative feedback to Councillors (from some retailers) about it being used for this purpose. There is already a lot of activities for youth, Council are comfortable with the idea of pop-ups around the town and the young people have responded well to this. Council moved away from providing bricks and mortar for youth activities as it hasn’t worked well in the past;

 Any use of the TCR needs to be:

o Accessible

o Affordable

o Showcase different community talents e.g. photography displays etc.;

 The working party did consider whether a revenue earning option be considered, given the potentially low level of community demand. However, given the high level of interest generated through the community engagement process, for use of the rooms for community purposes, they felt this would be a missed opportunity.

 If Council handed it over to a community group for a specific use, Council would want to be confident that group would succeed.

5.2 Assessment Summary

The Project Working Party’s preference is therefore to refurbish the Community Rooms for a general-purpose community centre, with flexible space that can meet a range of community demands and bring the community together around a common purpose or purposes. They concluded that that while there is not high demand for local meeting space in the community, high community use could be achieved through provision of flexible modern spaces, that are accessible, affordable and actively promoted. Their view was, that if done well, a refurbishment of this nature would meet a wide variety of community needs including space for young people, the elderly and all sectors of the community.

6 Management Considerations

In addition to the end use of the Community Rooms, the type of management will also influence their design. Therefore, for the purpose of developing a refurbishment concept, this section briefly considers different management models and their potential influence on the design for the Community Rooms. Potential management options considered include:

 Passive Management (Council);

 Active Management (Council);

 Active Management (Community);

 'Anchor' Tenant (and potentially subleases).

6.1 Passive Management (Community Leases/hire)

Under this model, Council would make the space available either to long term community tenants, and / or provide a booking service to clubs and community members seeking meeting /small events space. There is no ‘champion’ for the facility and its use relies on local awareness and ‘word of mouth’ promotion. Historically, this is how Community Rooms have operated. While the Rooms may have been well utilized in the past, this ad-hoc approach has over time resulted in low awareness of their availability as a community space.

In terms of design, multiple spaces for separate and secure tenancies and meeting spaces would be required. This type of concept is not well suited to a small space that can only provide for two or three separate tenancies at the most. Once a lease is let, public access is limited, and as evidenced here, any sense of community ownership diminishes.

6.2 Active Management (Council Run Centre)

Under this model, a coordinator position would be resourced, and the person tasked with day to day running of the facility, managing bookings, and generating demand for its use.

For this model, it would be important to provide office / administration space for an onsite manager and flexible community spaces to provide for a range of community activities and programmes.

6.3 Active Management (Community Run Centre)

Under this model, Council would enter into an arrangement with a community group or organisation to run the facility as a community centre. This is the current model for the Taradale Hall, which is managed by Taradale Rotary Club under agreement with Council. A custodian appointed by the club manages bookings, cleaning, maintenance etc. Potentially the Community Rooms could operate in this way either with an independent manager, or in conjunction with the Town Hall. If co-management with the Town Hall is an option, a physical connection between the two facilities could provide greater flexibility across both sites, with the Community Rooms providing small break out space to the larger Town hall facilities.

6.4 'Anchor' Tenant (Mixed Use Centre)

Under this option, an 'anchor tenant' would lease part of the building for their own use, and manage the rest of the building for community or other use. This model has been proposed by Taradale Marketing Association and would require provision of a main office /administration space, and flexible spaces to provide for a range of other services, activities and programmes. Council currently supports a similar model in the Community Hub in Napier.

6.5 Conclusion

Each of the management options considered, support refurbishment and reconfiguration of the internal space of the Community Rooms in order to take full advantage of the space. Provision of a future connection to the adjacent Taradale Town Hall would also allow further maximizing of use across both facilities, if community demand warranted it.

7 Refurbishment Concept

Having considered community need, engaged with the community and workshopped with the Project Working Party, it is concluded that there is a clear desire to retain the Community Rooms for general community use. Their small space and central location are suitable to smaller events, programmes, and community use and any refurbishment therefore needs to provide a flexible layout.

The current design of the Rooms, with the exception of the larger Council Chamber space, is dated and its poor format not well suited for this purpose, and a simple upgrade would be unlikely to achieve any great improvement in utilisation. To meet community need, as identified through this report, and provide a modern community asset the refurbishment should therefore consider:

1. Preservation of the Art Deco character of the exterior;

2. Re orientation of main access from the current Lee Road frontage to the service lane at the rear of the building (including providing suitable access for people with disabilities);

3. Refreshing of the ‘council chamber’ space but otherwise retain as is for community activities/ programming/event space;

4. Modernising the toilet and kitchen amenities (including providing disabled access);

5. Making improvements to the existing office space, in terms of décor, flow, and flexibility of use; and

6. Provide for individual secure spaces.

7.1 Proposed Refurbishment and Costs

In discussion with James Jack Architects, the above information has been used to develop the refurbishment concept plan. Key features of the concept include:

New Access and Central Foyer Area

 A new main entrance and central foyer area, opening to the southern side of the building (between the Community Rooms and Taradale Town Hall) is proposed. Reorientation of the entrance in this way will provide an improved link with the carpark and shopping centre to the west/northwest of the Rooms, and will be a safer entrance than the current one located on Lee Road.

 It is proposed that the doors from the Lee Road entrance, if suitable will used again in the new entrance.

 The new main entrance will open into a central foyer area, providing an arrival space. A new kitchen and toilet facilities will be accessed off the foyer.

Retain Art Deco Character

 Mr Jack advised that the main art deco value of the Community Rooms was in the ‘skin’ of the building, therefore minimal changes to the exterior of the building are proposed.

 It is proposed that the existing Lee Road entrance steps be retained, and the doors (see above) replaced with a story board feature displaying heritage posters of the area. This will create a point of interest for residents /visitors to the shopping centre, similar to the story boards displayed in Napier’s CBD, and provide a resting spot/ shelter area along Lee Road.

 There are few remaining internal art deco features, where these are salvageable, it is proposed they are reused in the refurbishment. For example, the central corridor glass doors may be able to be retained.

Retain Council Chamber

 The larger Council Chamber space will be retained for 'lounge' space and its decor updated. This space will suit a range of community needs from programmes and activities to meetings, and small events. The external access to this room will also be retained.

Reconfigure Eastern End of Rooms

 The eastern end of the Rooms which currently comprise a number of small and poorly designed spaces will be reconfigured to provide 4 small offices /meeting room spaces that have improved functionality;

 A movable wall is proposed between meeting rooms 3 & 4, to provide flexibility of use; and

 A large storage cupboard to accommodate community lockers for use by different community groups is proposed.

Secure Access

 Separate and secure access points are proposed to the entrance foyer to adjoining office area; the eastern meeting spaces, and the larger Council chamber space. This will enable separate access to these spaces, so that they can be used during the day and evenings in a safe and secure manner.

Figures 12 and 13 below show the existing and concept floor plans. (Refer Appendix 5 for full copy of concept plan).

Alexander Construction were provided this concept plan to give an indication of costs for the refurbishment. Their preliminary estimate is $246,575 (plus GST) to achieve this design. This is within the $280,000 budget assigned as part of Councils asset management funding for refurbishment in the 2017/18 financial year. The remaining amount provides a contingency buffer, or if not required could be used for centre fittings / furnishings.

[3] http://www.otago.ac.nz/wellington/otago069936.pdf

[4] Refer Appendix 3.1, record of conversation with Kerry Geange, Collier Real Estate, May 2016

[5] Appendix 1.1 - Taradale Community Rooms, Consultation Plan

[6] Note, the level of effort (in brackets) has been ‘inverted’ so that the total score more accurately reflects the preferred option.

Meeting Date:	Wednesday 14 June 2017
Time:	Following the Finance Committee meeting
Venue:	Main Committee Room 3rd floor Civic Building 231 Hastings Street Napier


Prepared by:	Stella Morgan	Reviewed and approved for release by:	Natasha Carswell
	Consultant Planner		Community Development Manager, Napier City Council
Date:	Date: January 2017
File Ref:	NCC16003
Status:	Final