A planned temporary community centre in South Dunedin will not go ahead.
The Dunedin City Council had envisaged the former Veggie Boys shop at the corner of King Edward St and Macandrew Rd might fill such a need until the South Dunedin community library complex is built.
However, fit-out of the proposed temporary space was shaping up to be too expensive for the benefits obtained.
"We were considering renovating the former Veggie Boys store for use as a temporary community centre, but decided not to proceed, as we found it would be too costly and time-consuming," a council spokesman said.
The new library and community centre will not be built before 2025.
At one stage, it was hoped the new centre might open in the first half of 2022.
In the end, the council said it had "chosen to accept" the remaining tenant at the site, Community Care Trust, would most likely stay until the expiry of its lease on January 31, 2025.
The trust works with adults and youth with intellectual disabilities or those on the autism spectrum.
The parties had tried to find the trust a new home, without success.
South Dunedin Community Network chairwoman Eleanor Doig said the relatively short duration of the planned temporary community space was one factor that made it not worth pursuing.
"We would rather the money is put into the library and community centre," she said.
"There is certainly a need for more space and that’s what the library complex will provide."
A library in South Dunedin has long been awaited and the council bought the site at the corner of King Edward St and Macandrew Rd in March 2019.
In January 2021, the council announced buildings at the site would be demolished to make way for a new single-storey facility.
The council said on its website it did not have clear timeframes for demolition, construction or when the new facility would open.
Temporary expansion of the community space operated by the South Dunedin Community Network turned out not to be feasible.
"We know this is disappointing for the community, and we will continue to make plans for a permanent library and community site a key priority."
The council spokesman affirmed the council’s commitment to the library project had not changed.
"Our focus is on the development of a new library and community centre in South Dunedin, and our timeframe remains unchanged," he said.
"We expect work to begin shortly after Community Care Trust’s lease expires in January 2025 and the property is vacated."
