On Thursday, the Queenstown Lakes District Council will be asked to approve a proposal to seek expressions of interest for the provision of a leased Frankton library space, a move which has been accelerated by significant residential growth and the relocation of schools and businesses to the Frankton area.
Corporate services general manager Meaghan Miller said the growth in the Frankton community ``indicates there is a real desire for this service''.
The council consulted on the development of a Frankton library hub in 2015 and included funding for 2020.
Since then, however, several factors had ``influenced a shift in thinking''.
``The recent Queenstown town centre master plan work demonstrated that a more significant library presence is not only desirable but appropriate for the CBD,'' Ms Miller said.
``This would be in addition to a Frankton library.
``The implementation of a `pop-up' library at the Queenstown Events Centre has been an immediate success and strongly suggests that the appetite for a Frankton library exists.
``The service has grown organically with one book now being issued every two minutes and circulation has doubled since opening in early August.''
Ms Miller said by beginning with a short-term lease in Frankton the library space could be considered as a chance to test design, layouts and technologies to refine a long-term model for a Frankton library hub.
By approaching the market the council hoped to identify suitable premises which were available to lease in the near term ``on an affordable basis''.
If approved by the council at its meeting in Wanaka, funding would be made available through the 2018 10-year plan.
``The library proposal will then be subject to consultation with the community through the 10-year plan process, but if supported we could potentially be issuing books on a more permanent basis at Frankton next year,'' Ms Miller said.
