Tauranga City Council signs partnership agreement for library, hotel builds

A new central library and civic administration building will be built on Willow Street. Photo/John Borren

The Tauranga City Council has signed a partnership agreement with the development company behind Auckland's Wynyard Central and Wellington's Chews Lane Precinct.

Willis Bond and Co will work with the council to develop a new central library, civic administration building, surrounding open space and a hotel and conference centre in the city centre.

The projects will be worth tens of millions of dollars, with funding of $35 million set aside for the library and $23.3 million for the administration building, both destined to be built on Willow St.

The council said negotiations with Willis Bond and Co would start soon to outline the expectations for bringing a long-awaited international-brand hotel to the city centre and for the new central library and administration building.

Willis Bond and Co was chosen after a 12-month selection and negotiation process.

The company specialised in large scale urben developments, in particular waterfronts and inner city mixed use developments combining living, retail, office and parking.

The companies recent projects included Wynyard Central, Catalina Bay and Sunderland at Hobsonville Point in Auckland, and Whitireia WelTec Campus, Chews Lane Precinct and Clyde Quay Wharf in Wellington.