Three years after the Queenstown Lakes District Council purchased a multimillion-dollar property at Ladies Mile, work will finally begin to retrofit it and create a new community centre.
The site, at 516 Ladies Mile, is a 14.6ha property previously owned by the Walker family.
According to the council’s rating information at the time the council purchased it, in February, 2019, the land was valued at $3.6million and the improvements — a 440sqm house, 320sqm of garaging and an in-ground swimming pool — at $2.81million, adding up to a capital value of $6.41million.
The council purchased the property for just less than $14million.
To date, the council has done nothing with the property, aside from consent its use for informal recreation, and build a small car park.
The council announced yesterday it had approved a budget of slightly more than $3.6million to turn the house into a community centre.
Community services general manager Dr Thunes Cloete said resource consent had also been granted, to create a multi-purpose facility comprising spaces for meetings and "other community uses".
The house would be used for things from Plunket check-ups to temporary offices for government and local government".
The land would be used to support wider needs of the Wakatipu community.
A community open day is planned soon for people to tour the site.
The centre is expected to open in October.
