Public advice to Tauranga City Council on the proposed new civic heart is challenging a re-think and re-look at the whole city centre.

Submissions on the first day of the Civic Heart hearing advised the council the heart of Tauranga is in need of some open heart surgery, or a bypass operation.

David Leavy asks Tauranga City Councillors why no one has been called to account for the state of the existing council offices. Photos: Bruce Barnard.

Te Kohinga submitter Dr Alistair Reese suggests a museum as the appropriate way to contribute to the city's heart health, as it speaks to a community's relationship with its past.

'The past is not merely a static object but has a life that extends into the present and the future, creating identities and social and political realities. Therefore, the past needs to be reflected not only in one finite building but also represented within the totality of the City Plan,” says Alistair.

Devon Campbell says the proposed $68 million cost is totally unrealistic, and that the current building can be repaired, renovated and extended for a fraction of that.

He says the city council's leaks are minor comparted with other leaky building issues.

'The costs quoted by council staff have been totally unrealistic to date and should be taken as a pitch to rebuild instead of the most cost effective repair path.”

Like many of the submissions, Devon's include the city council's current relationship with the CBD as a factor that must also be considered as part of the discussion.

Revitalisation of the CBD can be achieved through free parking in the city centre.

'The cost to the ratepayer will be minuscule compared to the cost of a full council building rebuild and will revitalise the CBD almost immediately by encouraging far more people into the CBD than any civic centre would do and that is a fact that is impossible to argue against,” says Devon.

On the submission question of a civic square to better connect with the waterfront, he says the city already has one – the Southern Waterfront Carpark, which council staff have recently decided is perfect parking area for council vehicles.

Peter McKinlay, from consultants McKinlay Douglas, says the council's rushed consultation process is ignoring an important issue - how the community relates with the council.

The consultation document focuses on the efficiency and effectiveness of the organisational needs of the council as an entity separate from its communities, says Peter.

But the council doesn't exist to maximise the wealth of a defined group of shareholders, says Peter, instead, its purpose is to maximise the well-being of the communities it serves.

He reminded councillors that the law under which councils operate requires them to, 'meet the current and future needs of communities for good-quality local infrastructure, local public services, and performance of regulatory functions in a way that is most cost-effective for households and businesses”.

Peter says if someone needs to travel 20km for a face-to-face meeting with the council, the time and the transport costs associated with that travel are part of the overall costs and must be taken into account in assessing whether the Council's proposed option is, "most cost-effective for households and businesses”.

He feels it could be more cost effective for communities the council serves to have local offices in Papamoa or The Lakes.

By not doing so, the council has ignored an important requirement of the Local Government Act, says Peter.

He says there's nothing in the proposal to suggest how the changes to the council owned block will relate to and revitalise the rest of the CBD, or what the council's vision is for how the CBD should develop and its different parts interact with each other.

Submitters have two more days to speak at the hearing at the Council Chambers on Willow Street.

Papamoa Progressive Association chair Ron Melville speaks to his submissions to council.