Taihape Town Hall to retain facade in redevelopment project

A concept design for the restoration of Taihape's Town Hall has been confirmed. Photo / NZME

More than three years since its forced closure, Rangitīkei District Council has confirmed design plans for the redevelopment of the Taihape Town Hall and Library.

The building was closed in December 2021 after a report found the building would be high risk in the event of an earthquake, with a 10% New Building Standard (NBS) rating.

Since being forced to close, plans for the hall have been considered with the goal of balancing the community’s desire to maintain heritage features, have a purpose-built hall and be cost-effective.

The concept design by Maycroft Construction was confirmed at the March 27 council meeting.

It will maintain the facade of the building while replacing everything else to meet safety standards.

“The cost savings that this design gives us is significant for a council of our size, and yet we’re able to retain the heritage facade which the people of Taihape value the most,” Rangitīkei Mayor Andy Watson said.

Northern Ward councillor Gill Duncan said it had been an option to keep and restore features of the building, such as the stage and hall, but the upkeep was estimated to cost more over time than a full replacement.

“Not only is it going to cost less but it will be less to maintain going forward and we will get a better result in terms of heating and insulation.”

Duncan said one of the reasons it had taken a long time to confirm a redevelopment concept was the council’s refusal to lower its standards of what it wanted the Town Hall to be.

“The need to have a home for our full-scale musicals, drama productions, our dance academies and weather-dependent events meant we had to fight for this outcome,” she said.

Because of the Town Hall’s significance to the community, the council believed it was important to announce the decision on the concept design but details regarding the cost and timeline were yet to be confirmed.

“There’s no way this will be let lie now, we will be pushing to get it up and running,” Duncan said.

“This is such a dream for me that this decision has been made and now we can step forward.”

Olivia Reid is a multimedia journalist based in Whanganui.