Arts centre earmarked for $1.3m upgrade

The future of a home for the arts in West Auckland is about to get rosier as $1.3 million of Waitakere City ratepayers' money heads its way.

Corban Estate in Henderson, a former winery owned by Waitakere City Council since 1991, has heritage buildings in need of upgrading.

Spending of $300,000 on the 9.7ha site was already planned this year.

But the council's annual plan committee has included the site as a potential project to share in savings on other jobs.

Committee chairwoman Janet Clews yesterday confirmed the boost.

The committee wanted to use money unspent in the current financial year to leave council assets in reasonably good shape before they were absorbed into the Super City from November 1.

Mrs Clews said the arts centre had a deferred works requirement of $1 million.

The Waitakere Arts and Culture Development Trust was to lease the estate, and it was unfair to hand over something that was unable to be managed properly.

The council also had to house the popular Pacific Mamas craft group at the estate after its building was damaged by fire.

"We have looked at providing through the plan enough to make the building safe and usable. Some of the old sheds will have to go and others will need to be tidied up and some of the drainage is substandard."

Arts trust vice-chairman John Edgar welcomed the boost for the Corban Estate.

"It has some wonderful buildings for community facilities, but their maintenance has been overlooked for some time," he said.

Once the estate had a maintenance schedule, the trust hoped to secure the lease and apply for funding for further development from organisations outside of councils.

"It is a fantastic opportunity in the middle of town and it will grow."

The helping hand for Corban Estate has not extended to a 7-year-old proposal to start a vintage tram service between it and the Henderson station in the Henderson CBD.

The proposal for a 2.7km line was estimated at $7.2 million, with annual operating costs of $500,000.

Mrs Clews said the tram had not made the draft annual plan and adding such an expensive project now would require public consultation.