Cromwell Town Centre progresses
The Central Otago District Council has approved the next stages of detailed design for the Cromwell Town Centre project.
In the publicly excluded part of the meeting on 24 April, the Council met to discuss whether to progress with further analysis and development of preferred options for the town centre project to be consulted on in the 2025-34 Long-term Plan (LTP).
After discussion it was agreed that a detailed breakdown and further investigation of the costs would be required to enable the council to make a decision on the preferred options, to be consulted on in LTP, and that this would be discussed at the Council meeting on 29 May. Funding of $665,000 for further detailed investigation was in the 2023-24 budget and is to be carried forward for the 2024-25 Annual Plan, currently out for public consultation. It was also agreed that a report on where the governance oversight sat (Council or community board) should also go to the May meeting.
The Cromwell Town Centre project is part of the Cromwell Masterplan that commenced in 2018, which approved the process, funding and procurement approach for the project. Four workstreams were identified - the spatial framework, the Cromwell Memorial Hall, now underway, the town centre and the civic facilities.
The Cromwell Masterplan was extensively consulted on, and funding included in the 2021-31 LTP. However, as a result of the current economic climate, and the cost increase in building the town hall, the Council made the decision to consult with the community on the town centre through the upcoming 2025-34 LTP.
In a separate resolution, the Council also made a decision regarding the funding of any property purchases for the Cromwell Town Centre project. It was agreed that negotiations for property purchases should cease until the various options for the town centre were worked through and approved by Council, and that those options would form part of the LTP.
