During this week’s Wānaka-Upper Clutha Community Board meeting, the Albert Town Community Association presented a proposal for a town centre which it hopes to make happen using the Wānaka asset reserve fund.
In May of this year, the board announced it was in search of big and bold ideas from the local region, and had over $4m to spend.
Albert Town resident and association member Lucy Mitchell presented a thorough report, including potential facilities, community support for the project and proposed sites for a hub that would unite residents.
"I think Albert Towners tend to feel like Albert Towners.
"We have quite a distinct personality ... but we struggle to bring that community together because we just don’t have the facility," she said.
The association’s vision is to create an accessible, multi-use space similar to the Wānaka Hub and Lake Hawea Community Hall.
This could include a multi-functional space, a community cafe, co-working rooms and an outdoor space.
The proposal highlighted Albert Town’s rapid growth, the population going from about 1200 residents in 2013 to just over 2200 in 2023, according to the latest census.
The Riverside Community Facility was mentioned in the proposal as being too small and only accessible to members with a key card, making it unable to service the region efficiently.
The proposal received a wave of support, a Facebook poll showing that roughly 118 out of 136 respondents voted yes to the possibility of a community hub.
The group’s proposed locations included a mixture of land that was on sale and some that belonged to the council.
The options listed in the proposal included council-owned land near Sherwin Avenue Reserve and a few lots near Templeton St that were on sale for about $1m-$1.25m.
The board welcomed the proposal, saying those were the kinds of projects it had hoped to get when it called on the community for their best ideas for the asset fund.
"You’ve hit the nail on the head, this is exactly what we’re looking for," chairman Simon Telfer said.
Having received the support of the board, the association will meet with the Queenstown Lakes District Council’s parks and recreation team, who will assist it in putting together a feasibility study.
The final recommendation on what to spend the asset fund on will be shared with the council in November while discussing the region’s long-term plan.
