Aspirations to replace the Tauranga St John Ambulance premises with a $4 million state-of-the-art upgrade are nearing reality, subject to funding applications in the new financial year.

The organisation plans to construct the new building at the existing 17th Avenue premises, replacing the original building and operational ambulance station, which was built in 1990.

A concept drawing of the new St John premise at 17th Avenue. Image: Architectural Design Group.

St John district operations manager Jeremy Gooders says since plans were unveiled earlier this year, momentum towards reaching the $4 million goal has been building with plans for a mid-2015 start on track.

Funding is coming from a mixture of grants and applications as well as public support.

'We hope to start mid-2015 because we won't hear about the funding applications until the new financial year,” says Jeremy.

'The support and feedback from the community has been positive.”

About 80 per cent of the organisation's funds for running the service come from the government and ACC, but this doesn't cover the cost of the building.

Giving the project a helping hand was a $100,000 donation from the 20th and final Tauranga CIB Police Charity Luncheon. St John was one of 18 deserving charities in the Western Bay of Plenty community.

Also helping get the project over the line are businesses in the 247 Cameron Road ANZ Business Centre, forming a working party called the St John Building Project Trust.

Earlier this year Jeremy told SunLive that the Tauranga branch's 22-strong staff have 'massively outgrown” the single storey building. Back in 1990 it comfortably housed up to six full time staff.

Once complete, he believes the development will become a Bay of Plenty St John central hub for all activities.

'It will not just be a functional operational ambulance station,” he adds, 'but will also operate our community services like our health shuttle, coordinating our caring callers and friends of the emergency department.

'We are very keen to provide the best services we can for the community. We have a number of services that we are keen to expand.”