South Library in Cashmere, Christchurch. Photo: Google Maps
Christchurch City Councillors have voted to rebuild a popular library, which has been propped up by temporary strengthening work for 11 years.
Cashmere's South Library is the last of the council's libraries to be rebuilt or repaired following the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
The community had long been concerned about its future, and the rebuild decision was met with applause at the council meeting on Wednesday.
The library's current seismic rating is 34 percent - any lower and it would be classified as an earthquake-prone building.
A $32.7 million rebuild has been approved by the council, but it is $10m short in funding.
Last year the rebuild was expected to cost $24.9m.
Some councillors expressed concerns over the cost increase, and where the extra money would come from.
Mayor Phil Mauger said the council would have to take money off another project to fund it.
"It's up to us to find $10 million in the Long Term Plan. It's up to us to make it happen, to prioritise money from somewhere else. We're charging ourselves with probably until Christmas time to know where we're going to find that, so that's the important thing in my view," he said.
"But, I have been down to the South Library, and every time I've been there it's been very well used and everyone in the community loves it, so I will be supporting it."
Demolishing and rebuilding the facility was the preferred option to repairing it, which would cost $1 million more and require the library to be closed for 20 months - the same amount of time it would take to rebuild it.
Community board chair Callum Ward said the community would be pleased to see a final decision on the future of the building.
"They've been with us every step of this journey, and their feedback has informed the new design for a rebuild that we have on the table," he said.
"It's one of the most well-used facilities in the city and we're excited to see some progress finally."
Construction was set to begin next year, and the anticipated opening date for the new facility was late 2026.
