Mobile Library Activated After Shock Closure Of Leeston Library

Friday, 28 March 2025, 8:21 pm
Article: Jonathan Leask - Local Democracy Reporter

A mobile library followed by a temporary location is the council solution following the sudden loss of Leeston Library and Service Centre - all while it waits for construction of a new $16.1 million facility.

Substantial water damage forced the abrupt closure of the building on Wednesday.

The Selwyn District Council announced the facility will be relocated after recent routine roof repairs and further assessments revealed substantial water ingress issues at the library, and to a lesser extent the Leeston Medical Centre which shares the building.

The council initiated a more detailed assessment by a professional building surveying practice to determine the extent of the problem and discovered that significant water ingress has affected the ongoing safety and habitability of building.

Council chief executive Sharon Mason said the health and safety of residents and staff was paramount.

“So we have immediately started plans to relocate the library services out of the building, as well as to earthquake-strengthen and remediate the Leeston Medical Centre and Plunket portion of the building,” Mason said.

The council expects to confirm the temporary location for the Leeston Library and Service Centre in the coming week, to be open in April, where it will remain until new community facility Whata Rau is completed in 2027.

A mobile service will be provided until the temporary library site opens.

Community services and facilities executive director Denise Kidd said the original building that accommodates the medical centre and Plunket, as well as a small part of library, was erected in 1969.

“The extension that accommodates most of the library and community centre space was built in 1990 and has had a particular history of issues associated with roofing, water leaks and water damage.

“Over the years, the council received different reports and at various times, efforts were made to remediate the damage.

This history of problems associated with the extension of the building contributed to the Council decision to create a new multi-purpose community centre, that includes a library, and this new Whata Rau building is currently in the design stage.”

In 2021 the council proposed to build a new $8.9m combined community centre, library and service centre facility on Leeston Park, with construction originally slated to start in 2023.

The building will be called Whata Rau – a name gifted by Te Taumutu Rūnanga in 2022.

As the project progressed, increased construction costs and inflation pushed up the project costs and then land remediation issues were also discovered that needed to be fixed.

Following further consultation in 2024 due to the cost escalations, the council agreed to push ahead with plans to build Whata Rau with a new project construction budget of $16.1m.

The project is undergoing detailed design and is scheduled for construction to start around March next year.

Kidd said the troubled extension part of the building will be deconstructed at the same time as contractors carrying out earthquake strengthening on the original part of the building.

“The Medical Centre has also been assessed by surveyors and a small box gutter leak will be repaired immediately, but there are no health or safety issues for the visitors of the Medical Centre and Plunket room.”

Mason said the medical centre and Plunket rooms will continue to operate out of the building, and the council will work hard to minimise the impact of the remedial work on both staff and visitors.

“We understand the inconvenience that this situation may cause, and we are committed to working closely with the service providers to resolve the matter as quickly and effectively as possible.

“Our priority remains ensuring a safe and sanitary environment for all occupants,” Mason said.

© Scoop Media

Local Democracy Reporting

Content from the Local Democracy Reporting (LDR) service is published by Scoop as a registered New Zealand Media Outlet LDR Partner.