Council adopts Libraries 2025 Facilities Plan

28 August 2008

Christchurch City Council today (28 August) adopted the Libraries 2025 Facilities Plan, the framework to guide Council’s future decision-making in developing the city’s library network.

The Plan looks to meet Christchurch’s changing geographic and demographic needs during the next 20 years with a review every six years to look at actual growth and revised projections to ensure the location and timing of facilities reflect changes in forecasted growth.

Mayor Bob Parker says under the Plan is proposed to build new libraries at Aranui and Belfast, replace the library at Halswell, explore development options for Central Library and generally look to maximise partnerships and co-location opportunities to enhance the service.

“Each project in the Libraries 2025 Facilities Plan will be considered as a separate business case as part of the LTCCP process, Council looking to ensure it continues to provide the community with a world-class libraries network.”

He says libraries are recognised as contributing significantly to the social, cultural and economic well-being of the community, Christchurch having a proud history of investing in this network.

“Under the Plan, Council has made a commitment to ensuring its libraries network remains customer-driven, provides value-for-money and offers a technically advanced service for its ratepayers and residents.

“Council will tailor any future development, network reconfiguration or extension of services to better meet changing community needs, address growth and create focal points for community learning and leisure activities.”

Today’s adoption of the Plan follows extensive community consultation on the draft plan, submission hearings and a Council workshop.

Under the adopted Plan Council will also:

• Review service provision to Banks Peninsula libraries (Akaroa, Diamond Harbour, Little River and Lyttelton) within the framework of current levels of service for the library network. Scope future and current needs, acknowledging rural community needs.
• Align Fendalton Library’s asset with similar sized suburban libraries in the network and investigate development of seven day opening. Consider inclusion of a café following Cafes in Libraries feasibility project.
• Develop a plan for the voluntary libraries within the 2025 framework that will maximise the community use of these facilities. This will include investigating partnership opportunities with external agencies and other Council units.
  Retain the library service at Bishopdale but review its location in the retail precinct.
• Retain Hornby Library but investigate future options in line with the Greater Christchurch Urban Development Strategy (UDS).
• Evaluate the future role of Redwood Library following the opening of a new library at Belfast.
• Optimise partnership and/or co-location opportunities with retail development at The Palms to relocate and upgrade the Shirley Library.
• Continue to maintain and refurbish all community libraries and the Central Library as part of regular asset maintenance programmes and cycles. This includes those identified for possible future development and those expected to fulfil current need i.e. New Brighton, Parklands, South, Spreydon and Upper Riccarton.

Copies of the Libraries 2025 Facilities Plan will be available online and from libraries and Council service centres by the end of September.