Council opts for a rebuild

Christchurch City Council has decided to go ahead with the rebuild of one of the city’s busiest suburban libraries despite the $32.7 million price tag.

The city now needs to find $10m from its budget to fully fund the project.

Yesterday, council decided to spend $32.7m rebuilding the earthquake-damaged South Library in Beckenham on its current riverside site.

Head of community support and partnerships John Filsell said the decision was “the fastest, most cost-effective and environmentally friendly option”. The building has “started to experience a number of issues with heating and weathertightness.”

In a statement, the council said it has $22.6m set aside for it, and would therefore “need to confirm extra funding for the project as part of next year’s long-term plan 2024-2034 process“.

Last month, mayor Phil Mauger said he supported a rebuild, but not a rates increase to pay for it.

Funding the $10m would increase rates by 0.08% across four years.

The council said it would proceed with detailed design, but a timeline for construction has yet to be confirmed.

Construction is estimated to take about 20 months, and the library and service centre would remain open until the current building is demolished. Staff are looking at options for temporarily facilities.

Last year, South Library was rated as the third-busiest suburban library, behind Fendalton and Shirley.