The Invercargill City Council and Environment Southland are testing the open market for a joint new office space in Invercargill through a "registration of interest" approach.
Developers with available space can pitch their proposals to the councils by November 11 for a chance to secure the dual
tenants.
But the councils also listed a host of requirements.
These include about 7000sqm of space, of which 5222sqm is required for office accommodation. There also needs to be room for public services, storage and parking.
Items listed as "nice to have" include 3000sqm of additional space for an art gallery plus room for a cafe.
Both councils prefer the location to be within an area known as the Invercargill City Civic Spine — a 0.125sq km rectangle bordered by Don St, Tay St, Dee St and Deveron St.
The Invercargill City Council’s existing building is in Esk St, which runs through the middle of that rectangle, while Environment Southland is at the north end of the city.
The report noted the city council had recently sought temporary accommodation for the next five years because of deterioration, while Environment Southland faced maintenance issues.
It also said the process avoided reference to shared services or reorganisation — a hot topic in the South — because they were complex matters subject to separate work streams.
At present the Invercargill City Council employs about 280 people and Environment Southland about 190 people.
Proposals for sites outside of the preferred area may also be considered.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
