Nelson’s Elma Turner Library could be moved to Trafalgar St under an idea mooted by mayor Rachel Reese.
The city’s main library has money allocated to it in the long term plan for redevelopment. Rachel says the council should be thinking whether the money is best spent on the current site – on Halifax St – or on a new library taking over the State Advances building and the bottom floor of the neighbouring Civic House, both on Trafalgar St.
“Moving the library to Trafalgar St would bring its cultural values and pedestrian activity in to the heart of the city, providing a ‘bookend’ to Trafalgar St,” she says.
Writing her foreword to this year’s annual plan, Rachel says libraries are “people attractors” and by moving it to the CBD could “breathe new life” into the city library.
“At the moment I think the commercial sector is calling from some certainly from us and we need to give it.”
If moved, the prime library site, next to the Maitai River, could then attract private sector investment she says.
While investigation into the future of the library has started, plans have not been completed in time to be included in the annual plan.
Some great things about where the library is situated are the free parking, the small playground and picnic tables by the river, the walkway that goes past and of course the location in the ‘heart of the city’. Shifting it 100m down the road will not make it better for the users but will definitely make it better for the council by opening up ‘prime real-estate.