City council keeps on renovating for its successor

The Manukau City Council says its buildings in the city centre will probably be needed in a Super City.

The council has set aside $12.4 million in its draft long term plan to start refurbishing Kotuku House, its other main office building. But the decision on whether this goes ahead as planned in 2011 will rest with the new Auckland Council.

"It is highly likely the Manukau Civic Centre and other council buildings in the city centre would be needed," said the council's property group manager Steven Culpan.

He said the civic centre could be headquarters for staff serving the southern part of the region, or as a site for one or more council departments.

A $21.35 million refurbishment of the civic centre, including expansion on the ground and first floors to create more meeting room and training room space, has been completed. The refit made space for an extra 120 staff.

The Auckland City Council said it was proceeding with work on its civic administration building, including work on exterior cladding and internal offices on some floors.

But some plans for refurbishment at the council's headquarters for building and planning at Graham St are being reviewed in the light of the Auckland Council transition.

Council finance chairman Doug Armstrong said: "We are conscious of the fact that we are going into a Super City and we don't want to do things that may be undone with the Super City.

"So we are spending the bare minimum to provide for sensible maintenance ... no lavish offices or anything."

Mr Armstrong said about $3 million would be spent on the civic building, mainly to address safety issues, and about $600,000 on Graham St.

Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee said it was difficult to predict the financial implications of the Super City on the ARC.

Mr Lee said the landlord was putting up the rent at the ARC's Pitt St headquarters.

"Given the economic situation and the pending local government reorganisation I am strongly resisting. I understand the matter is going to arbitration."

A total of 592 fulltime equivalent staff work at Regional House, which the ARC used to own.

The council built the seven floor building in the late 1980s for $70 million. But it ended up costing ratepayers more than $200 million because debentures on the building were tied to a high fixed rate of interest.

The ARC lost ownership as a result of a National Government's reform of its responsibilities in 1993, but has stayed there on a lease from owner Kiwi Property Income.

The council's offices are on two floors and it shares space with the regional civil defence headquarters.

Council subsidiaries Auckland Regional Holdings and Auckland Regional Transport Authority, and economic development agency AucklandPlus share the building.

The North Shore City Council is contracted to move into a four-storey annexe being built at the civic headquarters in Takapuna.

Building co-owner Andrew Holliday said the cost of the new 4000sq m building was "shy of $20 million".

In December 2006, the council approved taking a 12-year lease on the entire building to bring 700 staff under one location in Takapuna.

The council will pay for a $4 million fit-out, subject to review by the Auckland council Transitional Agency.

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey was amused yesterday at rumours his city council's $39 million civic centre opened in 2006 would become a new Massey University campus.

"It will be five or six years before a Super City could think about downsizing," he said.

'But what happens to council buildings?

"I'll tell you this ... at the end of October next year, the council chamber certainly won't be used."

The civic centre has 13,400sq m of space and 700 staff.

The Papakura and Franklin District Councils have withdrawn building plans from their long term budgets.