A statement from Nelson City Council Chief Executive Nigel Philpott

Following the decision made by Elected Members on Thursday November 5, Nelson City Council would like to clarify some misinformation that is currently being shared in the public.

The decision of Council was to deliberate and select the preferred location of the Community Hub, Library and Civic space. This included noting a provisional budget of $78.3 million for the project in the draft Long Term Plan 2027–2037. This includes property purchase, design and build. It acknowledges the information provided by the public during the consultation - that cost and the impact on rates was a key reason for their selection.

It is important to confirm the next steps that are to occur for the project. The first is for Council to carry out due diligence to make sure the selected site is able to be used for the purpose that is intended. This includes additional geotechnical and infrastructure assessments, contamination checks, and title/legal review.

A decision on whether to purchase the properties will then be made by elected members in a Council meeting, as per normal processes and delegations. All three options had conditional sale and purchase/lease agreements in place, so the properties remained available as options during the deliberations process.

No properties have been purchased at this time - this is outside the delegated authority of the Chief Executive.

"Reiterating what I said following the decision last week, we have heard the public's concern about cost and I am determined that the option selected by elected members will deliver value for money, and that the procurement process will deliver an option for a similar level of cost as estimated to refurbish Civic House."

Following Council approval, a governance structure will need to be set up to make sure the project is managed according to industry best practice. Elected members will need to consider procurement processes (i.e. request for proposals/tendering), and final designs before work commences. Feedback from the community will be sought about what will be included in the new facility at the appropriate time.

We acknowledge that people are concerned about this project, especially costs, and it is important that a clear process is followed to give the community confidence that the project can be delivered within the set budget.