Around $5 million of prime real estate in Ashburton is being evaluated to potentially go on the market.
The Ashburton District Council is planning to sell off its soon-to-be obsolete library and civic buildings in anticipation of the move into the new library Te Pātaka o kā Tuhituhi and civic centre Te Waharoa a Hine Paaka.
“It’s always been in the long-term plan to sell these two buildings to help fund the new buildings,” Ashburton Mayor Neil Brown said.
Council business support group manager Leanne Macdonald said the buildings are currently going through the valuation process ahead of going on the market.
“We are still trying to ascertain a valuation and that’s proving challenging because we aren’t able to ascertain the cost to bring the library outside of its earthquake-prone [status],” Macdonald said.
“We are doing the work at the moment.”
Once the valuation is complete, and the council signs it off, chief executive Hamish Riach said the buildings will be put up for sale.
“Council is gathering information regarding the sale of the buildings to form a report which will be discussed at a council workshop in August.”
On the council’s valuation roll, the current library site has a capital value (CV) of $1,530,000 and a land value of $1,270,000.
The council office building has a CV of $1,650,000 and the land is valued at $740,000 and the adjacent block of land, with the council chambers and car park, has a CV of $1,610,000 and land worth $870,000.
Riach has previously stated that the council will likely move the relocatable building used as the council chambers to the EA Networks Centre.
At those values, the sale of the three properties would net $4,790,000 for the council to put towards the final cost of the new library and civic centre.
It’s understood other properties could be considered for sale as well.
The completion date for Ashburton’s new $56.75m library and civic building was originally October 2022 but is now set to open around that same point this year.
Due to the delays and Covid-related impacts, it is forecast to be up to $5.6m over budget.

• By Jonathan Leask