Three proposed options for developing the heart of Tauranga's city centre all call for the removal of three council buildings from Willow Street.

A Civic Space Options Project report shows refurbishing the existing administration, customer service centre and council chamber buildings is neither cost effective, nor is it financially viable.

The Civic Space Options Project Findings and Next Steps report will be presented to Tauranga City Council elected members on Wednesday, April 27. Photo: File:

City Transformation general manager Jaine Lovell-Gadd says the independent ‘Next Steps' report found the cost of refurbishing the three buildings to a basic level would cost $23.9 million.

This means the remediation works would cost roughly $12.8m more than what the buildings and land combined would be worth once completed ($12.8m).

'The report findings show that the existing buildings do not provide a fit for purpose, cost effective solution for a future proofed council office accommodation requirement,” she explains.

'Remediation of the buildings is not a financially prudent option. It would mean council would be spending more on the building assets than they would be worth following the expenditure.”

Remediation of the library was also included in the independent report, which bumped the total figure up to $28.7m for the four buildings.

But the report also found the library would cost less to remediate and renovations would actually increase the value of the building.

Existing Buildings Cost Estimate Summary. View the slideshow above for a larger version. Image: TCC

Since the discovery of toxic mould in the buildings in November 2014, independent investigations have revealed significant weathertight problems and building services issues with all four buildings.

Seismic reports also show the administration and chambers buildings are moderate earthquake risk, while the customer services centre and library are low earthquake risk.

The report does not recommend repurposing the buildings for other uses, noting the same risk and financial implications as remediating for basic council offices. It also found that basic refurbishment would not provide for a modern working environment.

The Civic Space Options Project Findings and Next Steps report will be presented to Tauranga City Council elected members on Wednesday, April 27.

This meeting will also include a presentation on three proposed Master Plan options for the Civic Space Options Project which range from ‘least ambitious', ‘mid ambitious' to ‘most ambitious.

All three options include the removal of administration, customer service centre and council chamber buildings, while In terms of the library, Option 1 would see it remediated, re-purposed under Option 2 and demolished and rebuilt elsewhere on-site under Option 3.

The schedule for delivery of the Master Plan will be dependent on a number of factors, including community support, affordability and value for money. The timeframe for delivery of the mid ambitious could be five years and most ambitious options is likely to be more than 10 years

Elected Members will be asked to approve funding for further work to be progressed on the council office accommodation, and agree to the Civic Space Options Project team continuing to follow the three Master Plan option approaches.

But they will not be asked to make decision as to which option they prefer as this will be made part of a Long Term Plan Amendment.

The community will be invited to have its say on the next phase of the project through public consultation on the Long Term Plan Amendment in June 2016.

More than 2000 people submitted feedback during the first stage of community engagement for the Civic Space Options Project which ran from December 2015 to March 2016.

An overview of the proposed projects within each of the proposed options. Image: TCC