Proposed Beckenham Library Service Centre
Notes of public meeting held at The Hoon Hay Club, 6 December 2000
Present
- Oscar Alpers, Chairman of the Spreydon/Heathcote Community Board
- Nick Chapman, Community Advocate
- Simon Markham, Information Officer
- Sue Sutherland, Libraries Manager
- Hilary Renfree, Spreydon Library Manager
- Fiona Aydon, Advocacy Team Assistant
- Spreydon/Heathcote Community Board Member: Phil Clearwater
Oscar Alpers opened the meeting at 7.02 pm
OPENING REMARKS
In his introduction Oscar Alpers stated that the purpose of the public meeting was to inform the public about the proposal for a new Library/Service Centre at the site of the present Beckenham Service Centre and to get feedback to help with the project.
He stressed that at this stage there were no designs and that because the project was imminent feedback was important. The proposal for a new Library/Service Centre at Beckenham supercedes the proposal for upgrading the Spreydon Library. The Christchurch City Council will make a final decision on the proposal in February, which will be followed by design work and further public consultation.
Submissions on the proposal to build at the Beckenham site can be submitted to the Council up until 22 December 2000. As submissions could have a bearing on planning for the site, he urged people to visit the other libraries in the city and put their thoughts on paper.
SUE SUTHERLAND'S PRESENTATION
A precis of Sue Sutherland's presentation is attached.
SUMMARY OF ISSUES RAISED
Simon Markham, the Council's Information Officer opened the floor to questions from the public. The following is a summary of the points raised.
The Size of the New Building and Proposed Facilities
1. The Size of the Proposed Building in Comparison with Others. Beckenham will serve a larger population catchment than other library/service centres and will therefore, be larger.
2. The Size of Meeting Areas within the New Facility Several meetings areas are proposed which are not intended to compete with existing facilities within the community that are for hire. There will also be a Boardroom. Nick Chapman reported that the present Boardroom is well patronised by the public. The Learning Centre will have instruction rooms.
Access/Egress Beckenham Site
It was felt that it would be difficult to drive in and out of a facility located at the corner of Colombo Street and Hunter Terrace. This was noted, but Beckenham has many of the siting attributes required for such a proposal. The car parking and buildings are expected to occupy 3/4 of a hectare and the site is 3 hectares. Wells and pumping equipment will still occupy some of the site but the Parks Unit is aware that there will be residue land which can be developed and enhanced.
The suggestion was made to enhance the river band at the same time landscaping of the Beckenham site. Nick Chapman reported that the Parks Unit had been looking at landscaping the riverbank and that the Spreydon/Heathcote Community Board had expressed a desire to see the river bank be incorporated with development of the Beckenham site.
A suggestion was made to incorporate outdoor space as a feature of the new facility. Simon Markham remarked that the size of the site meant this kind of design was a possiblity. Phil Clearwater stated that a the last meeting of the Spreydon/Heathcote Community Board it was suggested that an outdoor caf. could be a feature.
Parking
A resident of Domain Terrace who saw the Beckenham proposal as a plus, said he would still continue to use Spreydon Library because it is within walking distance of his home. He suggested that at the planning stage close attention be given to covered bicycle stands and ample parking as he felt parking would be the key to the success of the new facility. He supported the 'drive in' proposal.
Travelling Distance to New Library
A Hoon Hay resident was very concerned about the distance to the new library and having to drive against the traffic after work to change library books. He had made a previous submission that Spreydon Library could be enlarged
Simon Markham reiterated the reasons why Spreydon Library could not be upgraded. Sue Sutherland explained that the designation of land to the north of the Spreydon Library restricted building in that area and that all the options had been carefully examined. Halswell, where there was an expected growth of population in the future, is outside the catchment area for the new facility. This area is served by its own library and therefore was not a factor in this project.
Adding a second storey to the existing building was explored as an option but was not feasible and would mean erecting a new building.
Accessibility of the New Facililty for those without Transport
Alma Sturgess of the Rowley Resource Centre was very concern that people in the Rowley area who have no transport will be disadvantaged by the establishment of a new kind of facility at Beckenham. It is of concern to her that people from a low economic area will not be able to access the Learning Centre and so lose opportunities to be introduced to new technology. Sue Sutherland suggested there may be ways of bringing people into the new facility and that the Libraries Service provides such services as Outreach and in some situations the library can be brought into the Community. Simon Markham added that the Learning Centre will offer day long immersion programmes. Phil Clearwater added that perhaps something could be done specifically for the elderly to give them access to the new facility, with the possibility of traffic signals at Strickland Street to alleviate traffic problems.
A resident wondered if the Orbiter Bus could be rerouted to pass near to the new library. Simon Markham replied that preliminary discussions had already taken place with the CRC and that they had been positive.
It was acknowledged that transport may be a problem for some users of the new Library/Service Centre.
Transportation of Children to the New Facility
Concern was voiced about children living in St Martins who may be disadvantaged because they do not have transport. Sue Sutherland reminded the meeting she would be meeting with the St Martins Volunteer Librarians to get feedback from them and added that there may be a possible of adding a terminal to the St Martins Library.
Alma Sturgess remarked that parents and parent helpers could not always be called upon the transport children who are on school visits to different venues and would it be possible to have terminals at Spreydon Library. She also pointed out that Pacific Island and Māori people had not become involved in the consultation process. Sue Sutherland commented that the mobile library service was at present being looked into to alleviate this problem. Phil Clearwater added that the community vans could be made available. Alma Sturgess then asked what would happen when the volunteer librarians retired. Sue Sutherland replied depending on its usage, if St Martins patronage increased, it would be absorbed into the Library Service as the Sumner Volunteer Library had. She added that the Technology Bus could be used to take technology in to some areas. Alma Sturgess suggested that a bus be provided to take school children from each school once a week to the new Library/Service Centre.
The Learning Centre
The question was asked whether the Learning Centre will work in conjunction with other facilities such as Science Alive and children's bookshops etc. to provide a good coverage of learning information for parents. Sue Sutherland replied that the Learning Centre had the capacity to incorporate all kinds of different learning and technology.
1. The Digital Divide A teacher who worked in the Rowley area spoke of his concern that some people who not have access to the technological facilities the new Library/Service Centre would provide. Simon Markham told the meeting of the Council's E project in which it is addressing the availability of technology. Sue Sutherland added that all libraries have free internet access and that this will continue at Spreydon Library.
Peter Tuffley was of the opinion that this new facility would help bridge the digital divide and that we need to have confidence that the new facility will be in the Community for the next 20 - 25 years and that it will be able to adapt for the future needs of ordinary people. He would like to request a public telephone be available in the new Library/Service Centre as there is not one at Fendalton.
Nick Chapman added that the Spreydon/Heathcote Community Board in conjunction with KEG is funding a report on E Chat shops for lower economic social groups. Sue Sutherland added that bridging the digital divide is more than just providing terminals, it is also the understanding and accessing of information and this means the provision of trained staff. It is not possible to provide a Learning Centre at Spreydon or St Martins because of space.
2. Sydenham School A resident wanted to know whether Sydenham School had been sold and whether this had a bearing on the Learning Centre. However, the Ministry of Education commitment to the Learning Centre will not be dependent on Sydenham School being sold.
The Service Centre
In response to the question of whether the services at the new Service Centre will be improved, Nick Chapman replied that the Advocacy services will have a better public profile. He added that in the past the public indicated that they would like to have more staff at the Service Centre providing more services than at present.
Simon Markham reminded the meeting that the Christchurch City Council is committed to providing 'walk in service' and that a combination of library and service centre services on the same site is more efficient.
Opposition to the Proposal
Mr Avalon Gough-Jones, a resident of Hillmorton, registered his opposition to the proposal and questioned the research and investigation work done by Council officers in coming to the decision to site the new facility on the Beckenham site. In his opinion the decision to build at Beckenham was a fate accompli. He felt that the demographics of the area, the fuel crisis and the impact on the elderly if they were required to travel to Beckenham required the Spreydon Library remain. He was concerned that Spreydon Library would be downgraded in an attempt to encourage people to use Beckenham which he felt would not be the case. He and others would continue to use Spreydon.
Simon Markham replied that Spreydon Library does twice the business it is designed to do and that the Libraries Service is well aware that it is a popular library. Feedback has been, however, that conditions are too cramped. Beckenham would naturally take some of the circulation currently using Spreydon but it must be remembered that a present because of a lack of facilities in their area, people are travelling to Spreydon from St Martins and Cashmere. He reiterated that Spreydon Library will remain open for those who wish to use it.
Sue Sutherland added that if 50% of the patrons of Spreydon Library moved to Beckenham, Spreydon would still be a viable library. At present an architect is looking at a design for refurbishment of the existing library and it is not the intention to let the library run down. However, what is achievable at Beckenham cannot be achieved at Spreydon.
Oscar Alpers, Phil Clearwater and Council staff all felt that the public consultation process and research had been properly undertaken over a long period of time.
OTHER ISSUES
1. Children's Area A request was made for a secure children's area where they can make a noise without disturbing other library users.
2. Additional Facilities Concern was raised regarding the provision of facilities such as a caf. The library should not be used a drop off centre for unattended children.
3. Vandalism of Books It was reported by one library user that illustrations are often removed from books and magazines, presumably for school projects and a request was made for some measure to combat this. Sue Sutherland replied that it would be possible to reproduce illustrations, particularly off the internet in the new Library.
4. Library Hours It was asked if the Library could be open passed 9.00 pm. Sue Sutherland replied that opening hours were always a difficult question. New Brighton Library is open 7 days a week and the new library would be open at 9.00 am as would the Service Centre. Feedback in the past has indicated that people would like an increase in week end hours and that the idea of after hours access to technology with the use of a swipe card to a secure area had been suggested.
5. Environmental Impact Concern was raised over the possibility of the increase in cars and people using the site should a new larger building be erected and what would the impact be on neighbours. Simon Markham replied that no planning has a yet been done and the development would be required to go through normal planning procedures and Resource Consent. He added that there had been no adverse feedback from neighbours at the new Fendalton Library/Service Centre.
6. Outdoor Play Area A secure outdoor play area was requested similar to the one at QEII, with particular attention paid to the proximity of the river. Sue Sutherland commented that the question of security and safety of people and stock had yet to be addressed but was a priority.
7. Doors on South West It was noted that the existing door on the south west side of the Spreydon Library lets in a cold wind.
