South Island trip planned for Municipal Building working group

RENOVATIONS: Hastings District Council had a walk-through of the Hawke's Bay Opera House and Municipal Buildings in Hastings, ahead of planned renovations. PHOTO/PAUL TAYLOR.

Members of a working group considering the future of the Municipal Building in Hastings are off to the South Island next week to look at the way other cities and towns have consulted with their communities and developed similar spaces.

The Municipal Building, which neighbours the Hawke's Bay Opera House, was once the local council buildings and had since been used for functions and other activities.

The Opera House itself was closed in 2014 after engineers found two of the walls of the theatre could collapse during an earthquake.

After public consultation last year, feedback indicated the community wanted the earthquake strengthening to take place, for a permanent roof to be put on the plaza next to it, and for discussions to be held on how to develop the Municipal Building.

Physical work was set to start on earthquake strengthening the Opera House in August this year, and the process for replaing the plaza roof among other improvements was due to be confirmed this May.

In the meantime, arts and cultural groups have been brought on board to form a Municipal Building working group, chaired by Hastings Community Arts Centre manager Pitsch Leiser, tasked with facilitating community consultation and coming up with concepts on what is in line to become a community, cultural and entertainment hub in the inner city.

HDC group manager of community programmes and facilities Alison Banks said she, Mr Leiser, working group council appointee Toni MacKinnon (from the Hastings City Art Gallery) and councillors George Lyons and Malcolm Dixon were to take a flying one-night visit to the South Island to look at eight facilities.

They were intending to visit the likes of the Isaac Theatre Royal in Christchurch, the Christchurch and Dunedin art galleries, the historic precinct and steampunk facilities in Oamaru and the Dunedin Railway Station to get ideas on how those communities had worked together to create their facilities that had become iconic features attracting both locals and tourists.

Ms Banks said the Municipal Building working group had a similar aim.

"We have said to the group that it's a blank canvas - it's up to them to decide what it will look like keeping in mind that it has potential to be a multi-use attraction, operating 24/7 that will enhance this end of town."

Apartments, cafes, and exhibition spaces were just some of suggestions in the mix to complement the Opera House and plaza area, a concept report on which was due to come back to the council in August this year.

A preliminary design concept has been scheduled to be ready by December but there was at this point no exact date for when the start of the work was due to begin.

The completion of the Opera House strengthening work was estimated to be December next year with it scheduled to open in February 2019.