The new Merivale Community Centre project may have gained Tuaranga City Council approval to continue plans for the centre, but council wants it to engage in even more public consultation.

The application arose from a six-month consultation process the centre undertook last year.

Council wants the new Merivale Community Centre project in more public consultation.

But the new council wants the project to again be publicly consulted on, in addition to the required public notification process required to divest the public lane over the site.

The plan is to amalgamate the two adjacent properties at 417 Fraser Street and 10 Kesteven Avenue; the lane was created as part of the shopping centre.

The council approves the project in principle, subject to it being satisfied with the feasibility plan and business study.

The new Merivale Community Centre project's architect's floor plans. Drawings: Thorn Architects Ltd.

The lease for the two council-owned properties will be $1 per year. The existing building will be sold by the council and the council will begin the Local Government Act process to stop the service lane.

The land and building at 10 Kesteven Avenue were bought by the council for the community centre in 1995. The current $1/year lease expires on August 31, with no right of renewal. The council bought 417 Fraser Street last year to provide additional land for the expansion of what is regarded as a highly successful community centre.

The centre will lead a fundraising project to pay for the development and no extra ratepayer help will be sought. Fundraising is expected to take one year, with a build time of eight months.

The new Merivale Community Centre project's architect's floor plans. Drawings: Thorn Architects Ltd.

The Merivale Community Centre operates in an area with a high deprivation rate based on low levels of income, employment, living standards and education. Key factors influencing the extent of the social problems in the Merivale community include poverty, alcohol and drug issues, anti-social behaviour and social disruption.

The centre's own community survey reveals that a large proportion of the community wants to see Merivale improve, particularly for the children.

Merivale Community Inc chairman Michael Thompson says a computer course organised in association with the nearby Merivale School was heavily oversubscribed.

'It was an after-school programme. We had so many kids come that we had to roster them. We had three kids per computer and we still didn't have enough computers.”

The new Merivale Community Centre project's architect's floor plans. Drawings: Thorn Architects Ltd.

Census information shows 36 per cent of the 840 homes in Merivale do not have internet access, compared with a Tauranga average of 23 per cent without access. In 2006, 59 per cent of Merivale homes lacked internet access.

Certainty of funding has been an ongoing issue for the community centre, so the proposal will include the development of commercial properties along the Fraser Street frontage to provide an income stream to support the building's operating costs.