Council building waiting game continues

A Civic Centre for Napier is still in the pipeline. Photo/Doug Laing

The first decisions on new premises for the Napier City Council won't be made until at least into a third year since earthquake risk assessments led to a decision in June 2017 to vacate its Civic Building.

At the time of announcement of the closure of the building, along with the adjoining Napier Public Library, together on a block bounded by Hastings, Station and Dalton streets and a parking area which was once part of Vautier St, the council believed it could be up to five years before it had a new a new home.

Council services which had been based on the building are now in several sites, including Mayoral headquarters in rented space on the corner of Vautier St and Marine Pde, and a customer service centre on the ground floor of Dunvegan House, in Hastings St.

In November 2017 the council adopted a plan to sell the Civic Building site, and consider establishing re-establishing the council headquarters on the library site.

Council CEO Wayne Jack said on Monday said that while "trying to progress it as fast as we can" the council is mindful of the cost and needing to make sure it has "got it right".

"We are still going through options," he said.

The proposal for the Civic Building site is to sell to a hotel developer, with negotiations understood to be continuing.

At least three other independent and unrelated hotel developments are planned within less than half a kilometre of the building, one already under way.