Meadowbank

Meadowbank’s many community groups are a step closer to a new central home – one designed to meet their needs for years to come.

Eke Panuku Development Auckland on behalf of Auckland Council has entered into a conditional development agreement with a development partner to redevelop the community centre on St Johns Road in the heart of the Meadowbank village.

The vision is for a high-quality, fit-for-purpose facility to better serve the surrounding and changing communities. The space will be about twice the size of the current centre, and it will be a place to gather, learn and enjoy a wider range of services and programmes.

The Ōrākei Local Board has responded to calls from locals for improvements to community facilities. In July 2018 the board gave the go-ahead to revitalise the Meadowbank Community Centre, an intention set out in its latest local board plan.

The new community centre will be located on the ground floor with homes above. Its design will cater for a mix of new and existing services, including some that are currently provided at premises at 22 Tahapa Crescent, Meadowbank and formerly at 4 Victoria Avenue, Remuera.

The final internal fitout design has been approved by the Ōrākei Local Board and can be found here.

The new community centre will be delivered at no cost to rate payers. It will be funded from the sale of the airspace above the new community centre for the new homes as well as the sale proceeds from the sale of 4 Victoria Avenue and eventually the sale proceeds of the Tahapa Crescent Hall.

Eke Panuku is leading the delivery of the Meadowbank community centre, working closely with the Ōrākei Local Board, Auckland Council, and the community.

STATUS AND TIMELINE

The project has been deferred for 12 months due to challenges in the construction sector and a cost escalation (increase of 30 percent) in the first six months of 2023.

We expect pressures on the construction sector to ease, and we anticipate that this project will recommence in May 2024. 

We signed a conditional development agreement with a development partner, and we will formally announce the development partner to the community once the agreement becomes unconditional.

ACHEIVED KEY MILESTONES

• Selection of the preferred development partner
• Conditional development agreement approved and signed
• Unclassified Local Purpose (Community Centre) Reserve status of the site revoked October 2021
• Resource consent granted for the mixed-use building
• Concept design community centre internal fitout endorsed by Ōrākei Local Board for community feedback
• Key stakeholder and community engagement on concept design and subsequent developed design for the internal fitout completed.

UPCOMING KEY MILESTONES

• Recommencement of the project
• Development agreement unconditional
• Detailed design phase for the mixed-use building concluded and development partner lodges building consent
• Developed Design community centre internal fitout endorsed by the Ōrākei Local Board
• Detailed design and consenting phase for the community centre internal fitout
• Construction by the development partner commences
• Development partner hands over community centre shell for internal fitout works
• Practical completion and code of compliance issued
• Ōrākei Local Board decision on interim operational model
• Meadowbank Community Centre opening
• Ōrākei Local Board decision on long term operational model.

Revitalising the Meadowbank Community Centre was one of the projects signalled in the 2014, 2017 and 2020 Ōrākei Local Board Plans.

The Ōrākei Local Board wanted to ensure its community spaces were fit for purpose, met the needs of changing communities, and catered for expected growth in the Meadowbank and St Johns area. Working with Auckland Council, the board was also keen to increase the use of these facilities.

Community feedback had already expressed a local desire for facilities to be upgraded and better maintained.

Assessments of premises at 22 Tahapa Crescent, Meadowbank, and 4 Victoria Avenue, Remuera, showed these community spaces were underused and not fit for purpose. The assessments also found that some community groups were using these premises even though the premises didn’t match their requirements.

Find out more about proposed community projects in the  Ōrākei Local Board Plan 2020.

The Meadowbank Community Centre is located at 29-31 St Johns Road in Meadowbank village.

Eke Panuku has negotiated with a development partner to incorporate a new community centre on the ground floor, as part of a comprehensive redevelopment of the 1661sqm corner site. The new community centre will have a floor area of approximately 570sqm, the final floor area will depend on the design of the internal fitout.

Along with its central village location, the site has:

• Easy access to local shops, the Meadowbank Shopping Centre and public transport
• ‘Business Local Centre’ zoning, which permits a wide range of uses, including mid-rise residential development
• Stunning city, harbour, and golf course views from the future development.

What is the current status for enabling work?

We need to ensure that development on the land is permissible in law.

When council originally bought the land in 1994 it was intended that the land be vested as a local purpose (Community Centre) reserve. This process was not completed. Whilst the land was not legally a reserve, it was considered as though it was one.

To progress the opportunity to develop the site, the unclassified Local Purpose (Community Centre) Reserve status needed to be formally revoked.

The reserve revocation process as laid out in the Reserves Act was followed. The Parks, Arts, Community and Events Committee gave approval to initiate the revocation process and a request was made to the Minister of Conservation to revoke the reserve status of the land without public notification.

The unclassified Local Purpose (Community Centre) Reserve status was formally revoked in October 2021.

Please note, this does not change the ownership of the land. The land will remain in council ownership.

Who will own the completed building?

Council will retain ownership of the completed community centre and most of the surrounding land under the Public Works Act 1981 as a public work.

The development partner will own the titles to the apartments above the community centre and a residual portion of the land, held for residence parking.

The development partner intends to construct and hold the apartments as a long-term investment as build-to-rent homes, meaning that the developer is building the development for itself to hold on a long terms basis and the apartment units will have a durable build quality that is attractive and comfortable for long-term tenants.

When does the community have a say?

Key community stakeholders were invited to comment on concept designs for the internal fitout of the new community centre in early 2022. Based on their feedback the local board approved community engagement on one concept design.

The wider community were provided the opportunity to provide feedback on the concept design between August and November 2022.

We have reviewed the feedback and progressed the design to developed design incorporating the feedback.

When will the Meadowbank community centre close?

The centre will remain open until the development partner is ready to begin the construction phase. There are many milestones that need to be achieved before construction commences.

Who is managing the current community centre?

Auckland Council is managing the community centre. Bookings can be made through the Auckland Council venue hire.

Where can my group/programme operate during the redevelopment?

If you need help, Auckland Council staff will be happy to support current user groups find suitable temporary spaces to relocate to. These could include other council-owned or community-operated venues in the area. If a suitable venue is found, each group will be responsible for completing its relocation directly with the new venue provider.

What if the temporary space I move to is more expensive than my current space?

If there is a difference between the current charges at Meadowbank Community Centre and your new venue, you can apply to the Ōrākei Local Board for a grant to cover the difference. The local board has committed to helping community groups operate during the redevelopment and hope they re-join the new community centre once it opens.

Who can help me find a suitable space to continue to run my group/programme?

For relocation enquiries, contact Susan McGreal, Place Manager, Connected Communities, Auckland Council

Email: susan.mcgreal@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or phone 021 892 435

For funding enquiries, contact Lucia Davis, Community Broker, Auckland Council.

Email lucia.davis@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz or phone 027 553 4800.

Will my group/programme fit in the new centre?

We have worked with key stakeholders and user groups to review the concept design before it was released for community engagement. We are confident that the design of the centre will provide flexibility for the current and future user groups and the wider community.

What will the inside of the new centre look like?

The ground floor will be community space, with residential apartments on the floors above. We expect the new community centre will have an internal floor area of about 570sqm, almost twice the size of the current community centre.

The final internal fitout design has been approved by the Ōrākei Local Board and can be found here.

Will there be an early childhood education centre built into the new community centre?

We have no plans to incorporate an early childhood education centre into the new centre.

Will there be car parking?

Yes, residents and community centre users will have separate parking on the ground floor. Carparking for the community centre will be in line with the requirements of the Auckland Unitary Plan.

Resource Consent for the mixed-use building has been granted and required 16 carparks (of which two are accessible) and three bicycle parks.

When will the new centre be open?

We don’t know yet. We are working with the development partner to formulate an approved project timeline for the development, and this will include an estimated completion date.

Who will manage the new centre once it is reopened?

While the redevelopment is happening, Ōrākei Local Board will decide how the new Meadowbank Community Centre will operate. The Local Board has favoured a community-led model for many of its community centres; empowering communities is a preferred approach in the council family. While this decision is being made, the new centre will be managed by Council staff and bookings manged by venue for hire. It will be important for Council to understand how the new building works before the Ōrākei Local Board decision on operations.