Thursday 10 December 2015

Council approves gift of land for House Museum

Christchurch City Council has today approved gifting land to Canterbury Museum for a new House Museum.

The decision follows strong public support for the Council's proposal to gift land on the corner of Rolleston Avenue and Worcester Boulevard to the Museum. The land will be used for the provision of a purpose-built House Museum in which to display art, craft and furniture owned by Jim and Dr Susan Wakefield of the Ravenscar Trust.

Public consultation on the proposal attracted 144 submissions, 128 of which favoured the Council gifting the land at 52 Rolleston Ave to the Museum. A public hearing was also held on 11 November where all written and oral submissions received on the proposal were considered by the Hearings Panel.

Mayor Lianne Dalziel says the decision today reflects strong public support for a new exhibition space that complements the existing arts and cultural facilities in the heart of the city.

"Today's decision is not only symbolic of the public's desire for more cultural spaces in the central city, it also presents a unique opportunity for locals and visitors to Christchurch to view one of New Zealand's most significant private art collections housed in a purpose-built facility in the heart of the city's cultural precinct. This is an exciting development in our city's cultural recovery that would not be possible without the Wakefields' tremendous generosity and patronage of the arts."

Following today's decision, Canterbury Museum will lease the site to the Ravenscar Trust during construction of the $13 million House Museum. Ownership of the land and the building will pass to Canterbury Museum on completion.
Under the terms of the gift, the land will return to the Council at no cost if the House Museum does not receive resource consent, or if construction of the building is unable to be completed within a reasonable time-frame.

Construction of the House Museum is expected to start late 2016 / early 2017 with the building opening to the public in 2018.

Background:
On 16 September 2015 Canterbury Museum and the Ravenscar Trust, headed by Jim and Dr Susan Wakefield, unveiled plans for a new $13 million House Museum in which to display the Trust's private collection of art, sculpture, designer furniture and classical antiquities.

Public consultation on the Council's proposal to gift land at 52 Rolleston Ave to Canterbury Museum, as the preferred site for the House Museum, ran from 17 September to 19 October 2015. The Council-owned land on the corner of Rolleston Avenue and Worcester Boulevard is valued at $5 million, and is currently used as a car park.

The House Museum will be operated jointly by Canterbury Museum and the Trust. As well as housing the Ravenscar Collections, it will also display objects from the Museum's own design-themed collections.

For more information on the House Museum, view canterburymuseum.com

- ENDS -

© Scoop Media