The new Pookeno community hub will be a modern, flexible place where community, technology and learning come together in the heart of Pookeno.
The hub with library and Council customer services is a priority identified in the Council’s Long Term Plan and was also identified as a priority in the Waikato Blueprint 2019 and the Pookeno Public Realm Concept Plan 2022.
When we asked the community at the recent workshops to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each of the three draft options, Option1 became the preferred choice. Option 1 retains the Pookeno Hall, addresses the site constraints of 10 Market Street and provides greater activation to Great South Road.
Some of the pros and cons of Option 1:
Location and surrounds
Improving the quality of the Pookeno town centre is the main driver of the Public Realm Concept Plan. The Pookeno community hub is one of the key moves for town centre enhancement. Other moves to improve the town centre include:
- Great South Road streetscape and roading improvements.
- Transport Hub to support bus and rail connections and park and ride
- Pedestrian and cycle friendly Market Street and more parking on Marlborough Street
These have been considered as we developed the options. The areas in grey in each of the options are not part of the $6.5m budget for this project and could be considered in future. What the building looks like and the interior design will come later in the detailed design stage.
The activities in this space could include:
- Community group activities, meetings and classes
- Multi-purpose meeting spaces
- Private functions and events
- Council services
- Library and lifelong learning
- Computer and internet access
- Shared working stations
The internal spaces are indicative and are not the final design.
Click on the image to enlarge.
Next steps
Once we’ve received the feedback from the community on the preferred option, our next steps are to consider the financial, risks and deliverability as part of the Options Assessment, and finalise the feasibility study to support Council decision making on option to advance for the delivery of the community hub with library in Pookeno.
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