Cargill’s Castle Trust chairman Steven De Graaf said about 80 people attended the meeting at St Clair Golf Club, and about a dozen people put their hand up to join the trust in bringing its vision to fruition.
"There was a good mix of people. Some of them look like they have very good skills — engineering, quantity surveying, building."
While there was a small group of neighbours who used the meeting to express concern about increased traffic and parking near the site, the general feeling was positive, he said.
A highlight of the night was the architect’s updated slide show of what the building would look like, and what visitors would see out of the windows when the development was completed.
The Dunedin City Council has already approved resource consent for the stabilisation of the castle ruins and Heritage New Zealand has also given approval from an archaeological perspective.
Mr De Graaf said the trust was now hoping to gain building consent in the next few months, and depending on how well fundraising went, and the availability of a construction company, work could begin on the site next year.
The project included placing metal walkways in the building, and stairs which can be climbed so you can see the views over the city and down the coast.
