The move comes as part of the ministry's disposal of the former Wanaka Primary School in Tenby St. The old school site was assigned for disposal by the ministry in May after the new school opened in Scurr Heights last October.
Part of the site, about 1500sq m at 120-122 Warren St, is being surveyed off for the retention of the Aspiring Beginnings Early Learning Centre and a small amount of extra land adjoining it.
The land will remain in Crown ownership.
Aspiring Beginnings senior teacher Jen Rawson said the centre management had written to the ministry last August asking it to consider allocating extra land for the centre to use when the need arose. The first she knew of the request being approved was when she was contacted this week by the Otago Daily Times for comment. She welcomed the news, though.
"There's all sorts of things we'd love to do with the extra land," she said.
There was no pressing need for a building expansion at present because the roll was at a manageable level, so other options included extending the centre's playground or its sustainable garden.
The surplus land at the former Wanaka Primary School site is going through the standard disposal process for Crown-owned property: transfer the property to another government department or territorial local authority if required for another public work; offer back to the previous owner (or benefiting successors); assess for any Treaty of Waitangi claims; sale on the open market if the property clears the first three steps.
The school property is in the offer-back stage.
The ministry's early childhood education group manager, Karl Le Quesne, said the history on how the Crown acquired the school site was still being collated and it was too early to determine the offer-back obligations.
"These details are confidential until the formal settlement has been approved by the Government's land disposal agency, Land Information New Zealand," he said.
Meanwhile, interest remains in establishing an arts hub or temporary community centre at the former school site. Earlier this year, Wanaka artists Christy Rolfe and Heather Kerr proposed establishing an arts hub at the site as a temporary home for artists while the ministry worked through the property disposal process.
The pair gauged the depth of interest in taking over some of the buildings for exhibitions, work rooms, rehearsals and other events by holding two public walk-throughs of the school, which were well attended.
Another meeting for interested parties was planned soon, Mrs Rolfe said.
