7 JUNE 2016

Stokes Valley Community Hub gets the green light

The proposal for an integrated community hub in Stokes Valley was approved by Council, at the Community Plan Committee Meeting on 2 June.

An additional $4.5 million has been added to the 2016/17 budget to build the hub and integrate multiple facilities under one roof, including the Stokes Valley Library, Hall, Toy Library, Community House and Plunket. This is in addition to the $2 million initially budgeted for improvements to the current building which was identified as requiring significant strengthening.

Mayor Ray Wallace says “We have listened and are responding to the needs of our communities. The Stokes Valley Community Hub is one of a long-line of projects underway city-wide that provides both social and economic benefits to our residents.

“This project further reflects our Council’s commitment to work in the northeast, an area of our city that is identified to have high need of investment. We are confident that this new facility will offer something for all ages, and will quickly establish itself as the heart of the local community”.

The hub will see three times the public computer space from current levels at the Stokes Valley Library, and bookable rooms and facilities available for community groups. Council aims to have this facility open to the public by spring 2017.

The Stokes Valley Hub project will enter detailed design phase from early July, with a contractor responsible for delivering the project confirmed at the same time. Resource and building consent will also be lodged from July.

The current Stokes Valley Library will close in September 2016, with the library to be demolished from early October. A temporary library will open from late September 2016 in central Stokes Valley and will remain open until the launch of the community hub.

Council will work with the community to ensure that the development of this new community facility and the history of the current Stokes Valley Library are well documented and celebrated prior to the closure, and the community are well informed on the progress on Stokes Valley Hub.

There will be a series of information evenings held in Stokes Valley in the coming weeks where the community can receive further information from Council about this project.

· Stokes Valley Hall, 7.30pm, 29 June
· Koraunui Marae, 6.30pm, 4 July

--- ENDS ---

© Scoop Media