Excitement builds for community centre

A map of Pegasus showing the lakefront site of the proposed community centre. Image: Supplied

The residents of a small Canterbury township are getting excited as their promised $5.3m community centre development draws closer.

The community centre in Pegasus has been in the pipeline for several years. It is now on track for a November 2026 opening.

The Waimakariri District Council has completed its detailed design and plans to go out for tender next month.

Pegasus Residents’ Group Inc chairperson Matt James said the community has been waiting for a purpose-built centre for a number of years.

‘‘There are metrics for when a community needs a community centre and I’m told we are well past that.

‘‘We are really exciting about it.’’

A temporary community centre was established in 2017, with the council leasing a building in Tahuna St.

The proposed Pegasus Community Centre. Image: Supplied

The Pegasus Residents Group Inc has been operating the centre under a memorandum of understanding with the district council.

James said the landlord has been flexible in allowing the council to have a month-by-month extension on the lease, which is allowing the community to use the building until the new centre is built.

‘‘This building is no longer fit for purpose because we can’t have bigger crowds.’’

The centre is serving a growing community, with the North Canterbury town now home to more than 4700 residents, including a number from overseas, he said.

‘‘I’m told the majority of people at citizenship ceremonies in Waimakariri are from Pegasus, so we could hold ceremonies in the new centre.’’

Pegasus Residents’ Group Inc chairperson Matt James (left), Colin Brownlee, Barry Clarke and deputy chairperson Peter Johnston with the community patrol car, outside the temporary community centre. Photo: David Hill / North Canterbury News

The proposed new multi-use facility will be built in an idyllic location on the Pegasus lakefront, with the council negotiating with the developer, Templeton Group, to buy the land.

The new build will be almost 400 square metres, including space for multiple events, functions or meetings.

The entry, accessible from Pegasus Main Street, will open into a spacious reception area.

The design allows for an open-plan kitchen, which opens to a foyer area, a small meeting room and a formal boardroom with a kitchenette.

Following consultation earlier this year council staff have refined the design, adding in Autex wall coverings for improved acoustics, with back supports and armrests, and sliding doors to the function rooms to improve the indoor/outdoor flow.