QLDC's $6.8 million plan for 516 Ladies Mile

As demolition teams start to reduce the "toxic house" that cost taxpayers $6 million to rubble, the community is being consulted on spending another $6.8 million to add a pre-used community hall and three sports fields to the site.

In the council's Long Term Plan (LTP) consultation document is a proposal to move the temporary Luggate Community Hall to the site and add the three sports fields.

Ratepayers have already put $14 million into the site after a controversial purchase decision, behind closed doors, in 2019. Around $6 milion of the purchase price was for the large house on the site that a pre-purchase report identified as a leaky building. Council staff still paid top dollar for the house and then failed to carry out recommended remedial work that would have made the house useable. 

Instead, it deteriorated to the point where toxic mold developed and the house now needs to be demolished. 

Now the LTP proposal is to bring forward planned expenditure on the site by moving the temporary Luggate Hall to Ladies Mile and then add a new car park, three sports fields and a toilet/change block. 

The proposed budget for 516 Ladies Mile sports facilities

The proposal means that the total ratepayers spend for three sports fields and a second hand community hall will be over $20 million.

The council also plans to spend $6 million upgrading the energy systems at the Queenstown, Arrowtown and Wānaka swimming pools from LPG to "cleaner energy sources".

The cost of changing the energy systems of three QLDC swimming pools is set at $6 million

The LTP will be discussed at today's full council meeting and is open for public submissions from Friday, June 28 here.