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Cr David Benson-Pope’s comments come after the Otago Daily Times revealed yesterday that only the ground floor of the two-storey complex would be reserved for the library and community centre.
The other floor would be turned into an office space for commercial tenants.
‘‘The long-awaited agreed development was always for a library and community centre, so the decision announced is clearly a betrayal of the commitment to that proposal,’’ he said.
‘‘I think the decision to lease the upper floor to commercial interests is both inappropriate and short-sighted.’’
Cr Benson-Pope said the suggestion was first mooted in a workshop discussion — there was no vote — with the undertaking that a paper would come to a committee in due course with options.
The decision was made in a public-excluded session during a committee last month, he said.
He was absent from the meeting.
‘‘It fails to respect the lengthy discussions with community groups and insults the residents of South Dunedin.
‘‘It’s hard to disagree with the claim that we have ‘broken our promise’.’’
Minutes of the meeting released to the ODT showed that on November 25, the councillors received a report from council’s property and the executive leadership team on options for the upper level of the South Dunedin Library and Community Complex.
As a result of the report, Crs Steve Walker and Mandy Mayhem put forward a motion that the council ‘‘decides that the upper level of the South Dunedin Library and Community Complex be a mixed-lease model’’.
‘‘This would include one space to be leased to the South Dunedin Community Network on a community lease, and the other spaces to be leased to organisation/s on a commercial lease/s.’’
The motion lost 6-4.
Crs Christine Garey, Marie Laufiso, Mayhem and Walker voted in favour; Crs Bill Acklin, Sophie Barker, Kevin Gilbert, Carmen Houlahan, Brent Weatherall and deputy mayor Cherry Lucas voted against.
After this, Cr Barker and Cr Acklin put forward a motion the council ‘‘leases the upper level of the South Dunedin Library and Community Complex on a commercial lease basis’’.
The motion was carried 6-4.
Cr Houlahan said the people of South Dunedin had been promised a library for decades, and some of its most prominent advocates had ‘‘literally died waiting’’.
‘‘There will still be spaces on the first floor for the community.
‘‘The new building is almost finished; it’s going to be exquisite.’’
However, Cr Houlahan noted that the council was presently sitting on large rates increases, and the new library would cost about $2.8 million a year to run.
‘‘We’re doing this [leasing out to commercial interests] because we need the money to run the library and community centre.
‘‘This is going to be a great community asset.’’
Cr Acklin said when the opportunity to build the South Dunedin Library on the KIng Edward St site was presented to council, the leasing of the upstairs space was part of making this decision.
‘‘The library and community hub is well placed to deliver for the community within the ground floor space.’’
Cr Barker said she hoped the library and meeting rooms get very well used by the community and prove that this service was much needed.
‘‘This has been a controversial project, with many people saying the council shouldn’t be building another very costly library just a few kilometres from the main library.
‘‘There is confusion, too, between the definition of library, and the definition of community space.’’
The claims of ‘betrayal’ showed that there has been a breakdown in communication around the project, she said.
‘‘It’s unfortunate that the clarity of this project management and reporting to council has been sporadic, since the decision was made to go ahead with this site, and the budget envelope ($22m) set.’’
