Incoming Councillors will be asked to consider a fresh approach to the development of a new community facility at 516 Frankton-Ladies Mile Highway in the coming months after a detailed assessment of a former residential building on the property revealed previously unknown issues.

QLDC Sport and Recreation Manager Simon Battrick said toxic mould had been uncovered behind the building’s cladding which would require its replacement along with all windows and interior framing panels.

“This would add a significant remediation cost over and above the $3.66m budget allocated by Councillors in February to retrofit the existing building and create an interim community centre while we developed plans for a brand new multi-purpose facility,” he said.

Two options will now go before the incoming council for its consideration: install one or more temporary buildings like the one used recently as a short-term community centre for the Luggate community, or bring forward plans for the new build as part of the Council’s next Long Term Plan.

Mr Battrick confirmed that QLDC purchased the former Walker family property in 2019 for the strategic long-term value of the land and at that stage never intended to reuse the existing house. Subsequently Councillors asked staff to investigate the possibility of retrofitting the old house as an interim facility serving the surrounding communities of Lake Hayes Estate and Shotover Country.

“The public open day we held in March was a huge success with more than 300 people attending and making some great suggestions on how the existing building could be adapted to meet community needs over the short term. But after engaging an architect during the design stage, we discovered issues with the cladding which would not otherwise have been apparent until that point.”

“Having got this far I naturally share the disappointment of the local community on this temporary setback but I’m also excited by the site’s future potential. There was always going to be an element of compromise and building code compliance challenges in repurposing a family home to a community facility that could meet diverse local needs.”

“While the potential reuse of the existing building had been exciting the risk of overinvesting in a poorly performing structure is too great. If pursued, it would leave those communities worse off in the long run. We will continue to work closely with local groups including the Lake Hayes and Shotover Community Association on the next steps,” he said.

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