An over-length presentation to councillors on progress on the civic centre means the city council's decision making process has been set back, says steering committee chair councillor Gail McIntosh today.

The experts that have been advising steering committee members and staff through the civic space options brought the rest of the council up to speed in a three hour presentation on Wednesday afternoon.

Looking up the plaza past the library/art gallery and council chambers towards the hotel on Durham Street.

'I think it was important that we started from scratch and explained the whole process that has taken us months, and sort of encapsulated it in one presentation,” says Gail.

'All of us that have been so immersed in it, know what's been happening, but it's important that we report back to the public.”

Public participation in the project is essential because the decision, now expected to be made later this month, will require amending the city council's Long Term Plan.

'All we were going to do last night was accept the business case, and on the ninth we were going to move ‘where to from here' which was to put the amended Long Term Plan out to public consultation,” says Gail.

'But last night took a bit longer than we have planned.”

The council discussion on the presentation will now take place next Thursday morning on June 9, and the decision to engage the public will now be made later.

'My understanding is they haven't set that date yet.”

Render showing a bird's eye view from above The Strand towards Durham Street.

Next week's debate will explore whether the council has done everything it can to get the best figures, says Gail.

'Yesterday was about showing we had done all we could by getting the right level of experts to come and advise us from their particular areas, which I think was important. We've had some good skilled people there.”

The council didn't know what repairing or re-building the council offices would cost when the Long Term Plan was approved last year.

Now the council has confirmed expert opinion that it is more cost effective to demolish and re-build the council building, it has to take the costing decision to the public.

'We have to go out to the public with anything that's different from the last long term plan and that's what we are going out with,” says Gail.

'We didn't know the figures when we did the long term plan, just over 12 months ago.

'We now know the ones for the council building. And we don't know yet whether we are going to buy or lease, but that's the most we will spend if we are going to build it ourselves or we are going to get someone else to do it and we rent off them.

'It's an interesting call. We asked the public at every meeting we went to. And it comes down to about 50:50 whether they want us to lease or own. Ninety five per cent wanted us to be in that block we are in now, the Willow Street block.”

The planned Harington Street carparking building is in the foreground.

The preferred way forward is to build a new civic administration building on the Durham Street/ Hamilton Street corner of the block, costing an estimated $64 million, plus $4.2 million for the surrounding open space/civic space development and $2.5 million for a redeveloped Masonic Park/Civic Square.

In addition feasibility studies for the proposed library museum and performance venue for the staged development will cost another $500,000. The total cost is estimated to be $91.8 million.