$7m to be set aside for Opera House

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule

Hastings District Council plans to set aside $7 million to strengthen the earthquake-prone Hawke's Bay Opera House, but says work to calculate the exact cost of repairs will continue into next year.

The historic Opera House and other facilities in the council-owned Municipal Buildings precinct were closed earlier this year after concerns were raised over their earthquake strength.

The council has contracted Holmes Consulting to prepare a "structural design report" which would provide information on the costs and scale of a number of strengthening options for the buildings.

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule said yesterday the council "remained committed to the restoration of the Opera House to its former glory".

Mr Yule said the structural design report would provide councillors with details they needed in order to make decisions on how the council proceeded with strengthening the buildings and funding options that are available through the 2015 long-term plan (LTP) budgeting process which would be undertaken in late February and early March next year.

"Council has allocated $1.5 million for this project in the 2014/15 financial year, and an allowance of $7 million is included in the 2015-25 LTP, pending the information contained in the Holmes structural design report," Mr Yule said.

"The concept and preliminary design work is due for completion by the end of February 2015."

Engineering advice received in March this year resulted in the closure of the Opera House's theatre, followed shortly after by the closure of other public spaces in the Municipal Buildings.

The Opera House Plaza remains available for events and Opera Kitchen continues to trade from its premises in the complex.