Taupō District Council has chosen a preferred option for its proposed cultural precinct project and it is one designed to create strong links between the Central Business District and the lake's boat harbour.
It will be one of three site options for a new building to be considered by the community mid-next year when the council decides where its administration functions should be based.
At a workshop yesterday, the council met to consider 524 pieces of feedback it received on the four proposed options for the Cultural Precinct Project when it asked the community to have its say on the designs in October. Of those to indicate a preference, Option B was the most strongly favoured and is the one the council chose to be further developed.
A final masterplan will be presented to the council on December 5. In February, all options for the housing of the council's administration functions will be considered before more formal consultation with the community.
The options will be to advance the Cultural Precinct Project on Tongariro Domain, build on the former site at 72 Lake Terrace, build on the Tuwharetoa Street Carpark or remain with the status quo. Council staff currently occupy five different leased sites in the CBD.
Mayor David Trewavas said a business case was being prepared looking at all the options and any likely costs and/or benefits to better inform the council's decision-making going forward.
"This is the very start of the process and there is a long way to go," he said. "We need to make sure we do a thorough job at looking at all the options as this is not just about today, it is about setting our district up for the future. We are incredibly pleased so many people chose to have their say at this early stage, and we hope that continues as we move forward."
The options, feedback received and a list of key principles and points raised during the feedback period can be viewed here.