The Queenstown Lakes District Council is not ruling out building its proposed new offices on council-owned land.
At this week's council meeting it was revealed 12 proposals had been received in response to a request for expressions of interest and these included proposals by developers to build on privately owned land.
While this was the most cost-effective, Cr John Mann said he was "uncomfortable" with the idea of eliminating other options, such as the council building on its own land.
"We are either going to spend $12 million on a developer or on an asset that the community owns."
Mr Mann said it was safest to run the two ideas in parallel throughout the process so there would always be a second option.
He said the council did not want to see a repeat of the Remarkables Park Centre concerns when the centre was being established.
Seven of the proposals have made it through to stage two, which effectively eliminated half the options, chief executive Stewart Burns said.
This was done quickly as the council wished to get ahead of the time schedule and follow the outlines suggested by council committees.
Staff are presently accommodated in six different buildings in Queenstown and in July the council began the search for a single office solution for both it and Lakes Environmental, a council-controlled organisation.
QLDC would prefer to have the council, the library and the proposed conference centre grouped together at the new buildings.
A detailed document covering the shortlisted buildings was produced yesterday.
QLDC senior policy analyst Scott Figenshaw said these would not be released to the public until December 7 when the shortlisted names and locations put forward as stage two proposals were put to council.
This was the same day the conference centre proposals were also to be released.
A decision on both was expected to be made in the new year.
