High Street offices and Marton Library

December 2023

At its Council meeting on Thursday, 14 December, Council unanimously made the decision to build a new Council administration building that will incorporate the library and information centre on its existing site at 46 High Street, Marton.

The decision means that Council will not be progressing with the Marton Civic Centre Project as it was originally proposed for the Broadway/High Street corner block.

The build at High Street will be a progressive project which means staff will not have to move offsite while it is being constructed. This is a great option with little disruption, and the ability to maintain business as usual.

Mayor Andy said “the option to remain on the High Street site means our community can be assured we will meet costs within the existing budget that we have in our Long Term Plan. Staff are excited to finally know they will get a building fit for purpose and happy to work out of.

Council are now in the process of looking to sell the Broadway/High Street corner block. We will keep you update on any developments.

December 2022

Council met recently to discuss the findings of the Better Business Case that was conducted for the Marton Civic Centre project.

The new Civic Centre was intended to be a space that brings the community and council-owned facilities together in one place - including Marton's library, information centre, council headquarters and emergency operations centre.

The Better Business Case helped us to outline the key information about our project, including why our project is necessary, how much it could cost, how it could benefit our community, and the potential options we have to choose from.

Council was presented with three options including building a brand new civic centre, restoring and renovating the heritage buildings in town, and doing nothing (except earthquake strengthening RDC’s current facilities).

If the council does not choose to renovate the existing heritage buildings, it is important to note that we would still be required to make further plans in regards to the heritage buildings, which includes many options such as selling, restoring, demolishing, and leasing.

Out of the three options that were presented, only one option fit within the budget allocated for this project within the Long Term Plan; this was the ‘do nothing’ option.

Elected members were asked to determine whether they would be willing to fund one of the bigger projects or if we should proceed with the ‘do nothing’ option. Council also requested staff to investigate a change in scope option which is upgrading the existing facilities at 46 High street and the current Library building. This new option will be taken back to council early 2023 and Council will decide on the options that will be presented in the public consultation in April 2023.

Watch this space for more information.