Interest remains high in the Wanaka Community House project, a recent public workshop confirmed.
The Wanaka Community House Trust has undertaken considerable public consultation in its planning for the project, which was first floated nearly a decade ago in a report commissioned by the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
Two further reports completed in the past three years identified more than 60 prospective tenants and stake-holders.
A two-day workshop last month - attended by district councillors, community board members and a cross-section of Upper Clutha arts, environment, education, social service, disability, church and community groups - reaffirmed the strong community support for the project and developed a common vision for its future direction.
A report from the workshop, prepared by community development consultant Margi-Jean Malcolm, said participants placed a strong emphasis on community ownership of the community house, which they agreed should be a ''proactive community hub ... not a place of last resort''.
Their objective was to create ''a visible and accessible presence supporting an environment of caring, belonging and connectedness''.
The report said the level of buy-in indicated the vision for the community house was ''much more than a building with space to rent. It reflects a vision for a space that builds [an] inclusive community and catalyses innovation''.
The workshop looked at various governance and management models used in other community houses around New Zealand and it was decided that while management of a Wanaka facility could initially be contracted to one lead tenant group, the preference was for the trust to eventually employ an independent manager to promote the facility and its use.
In addition to any funding grants secured by the trust, the community would need to raise funds for the building and its early operational phases. Ms Malcolm's report will contribute towards a feasibility study under way at present. It is expected to be completed in the next couple of months, helping set specific fundraising targets.
The study will also help the trust decide on a preferred location, develop a sustainable financial model and refine design specifications.
The Anglican Church Dunedin Diocesan Trust Board has offered the community house project a 50-year lease over land it owns in McDougall St, for a peppercorn rent. However, various sites will be considered in the feasibility study.
