Cost rise killed dream of big new complex

Press, 4 May 1978, Page 1

Cost rise killed dream of big new complex

The Civic Centre idea is dead because it would have cost far too much and had become an obvious pipe dream.

It was to have been the second stage of the Christchurch Town Hall, and at one time a new library was shown in the over-all plan. It would have extended across Victoria Street to near the new Supreme Court buildings, replacing a Manchester Street council chamber and outlying offices becoming increasingly unsuitable. The present council offices are a reconstruction within the shell of a hall destroyed by fire in 1917. Thev are a serious earthquake risk. The Miller’s building is not an earthquake risk.

in 1974. the council deferred its civic-centre plans until questions of local-body mergers had been cleared up. Those questions still lack answers.

Last year, the plan reappeared to become part of the council’s proposed fiveyear capital-works programme. Estimated cost at that time was $10M; S3M of that would have been for a parking building in the complex. It was put in the programme to start in 1981 and be completed bv 1985.

But the job's cost had leapt to 513.5 M in a recent estimate. It had costed itself out of reality. In his report to the council last evening, the Town Clerk (Mr J. H. Gray) said

that the new Tuam Street civic offices would be easier to approach by car and on foot. Cr Mollie Clark said it would not concentrate so many civic functions in one area of the city centre, and it would be good for retail activities there to have 350 to 400 council workers in the building. It was a “kindly, friendly building with an open air about it,” she said, and there could be an upsurge of community interest in council affairs because of that.

Mr Grav noted that the council’s Tuam Street carpark. with 256 spaces, was directlv opposite, and the Citv Clipper free bus service started and stopped outside Miller’s building. Each floor of the building has about as much space as the entire Manchester Street council building. Three levels are linked bv escalators. The building has windows on all four sides.

"It may be said that the utilisation of a former department store does not give rise to the same degree of prestige as a nurpose-built civic centre.” Mr Grav said, but “I believe that the council

cannot afford the extra cost of the prestige factor (S9M).” The building was “an attractive, substantially built structure for which no apology would be required.” With a “residual life” of 60 years, the council could be in the building longer than it has been on its present site (54 years), and longer than the council occupation of the Chamber of Commerce building in Oxford Terrace (44 years).

The gross floor area was almost 13,000 sq. m (140,000 sq.- ft), more than the 10,700 sq. m (110.500 sq. ft) planned for the civic centre. The total area covered by the eight premises which will come together is about 6000 sq. m (65,000 sq. ft). A detailed office-space study has already started, and about SIM of the S3M conversion cost could be for electrical and mechanical services, and replacement of one escalator. Even if council staff increased by 22 per cent over present numbers, there would still be expansion room equivalent to the present council building available for the future,