A report on the proposed community and arts centre (Remarkables Centre) for Queenstown's Stanley Street will be considered by the Queenstown Lakes District Council meeting at the end of the month, ahead of major public consultation on the project.

"Work has been ongoing by the working party to get to a point where it can now present the council with a progress report and economic feasibility assessment. This report gives us a clear indication of the cost of the project, which will be staged, the benefits to the community and the projected cost to the ratepayer," QLDC chief executive Duncan Field said.

The working party presented its findings at a workshop yesterday at Queenstown attended by councillors and award winning project architects Stevens Lawson.

The report would be available to the public and considered in public at the council meeting.

"A huge amount of work and consultation by the working party has taken the project to the point where our community can now consider all the details and the debate can be had, as to where to from here," Mr Field said.

The council would be asked to receive the report to allow for further consultation with user groups and the public.

"No further decisions will be taken until that process has been thoroughly undertaken. The council is being asked to okay that process alone," he said.

In July 2005 the working party was asked to prepare a site master plan and costings for a: 700 to 1000 seat auditorium; a 200 to 250 seat playhouse, rehearsal spaces, an art gallery, community rooms, plazas and a library.

The total cost of the community facilities was estimated to be $62.6 million, however the working party has recommended commencing with stage one, including the auditorium, community rooms, rehearsal spaces and a community meeting and conference centre, a total cost of $54.6 million.
"There are two key points to make. The first is that there will be at least a three year period before anything is constructed above ground because of design approvals and the requirement to construct the underground carpark $15.8 million (funded via a private sector partnership)," Mr Field said.

The second was that the project was reliant on community trust funding, developer contributions (initially loan funded) and other funding means.

"If you were to build the entire project today, ignoring private sector funding, the cost would be $89.4 million," Mr Field said.
The cost needed to be considered in the context of potential staging of the project, and the funding opportunities.

There would be a cost to the ratepayer, estimated to be approximately $95 per household per annum.

"But we can only proceed with this project if the community agrees", Mr Field said.

The council meeting would take place at Wanaka on Friday, 31 August. The final report would be available to the public on Tuesday 28 August.

ENDS

For further information please contact Duncan Field or Clive Geddes.

Media: There will be a media briefing on Tuesday 28 August at a time to be confirmed.

By: Tamah