Source: Porirua City Council
A new library to be built in Cannons Creek in Porirua in the next two years is being hailed by the Mayor and city councillors as a facility current and future generations will be proud to call their own.
The new building, to be placed on Bedford Reserve, near Cannons Creek Pool, will cost $4 million. Funding comes from already existing budgets within Council’s 2024-34 Long-term Plan.
A report to Council’s Te Puna Kōrero meeting on Thursday outlined safety concerns about the current library, which is located alongside other shops, including instances where staff have had to secure the building due to disorder happening outside.
The Cannons Creek Library, established in 1985 after taking over a former draper’s shop, is “difficult to secure safely”, the report says. Despite this, it is a vibrant community space that has school visits and has become a thriving after-school spot, has a public computer hub and is a drop-in place for people to connect and relax. It also has a NZ Post box.
The report also notes the ageing 1960s building has a leaky roof, limited natural light and heating, inadequate staff areas and not enough seating or study space. The building next door is potentially earthquake-prone and a seismic assessment of the library building is due in September this year.
Mayor Anita Baker said a new library was critical for the suburb and will create a better environment for library staff and visitors.
“We’ve had unsafe actions out on the street that have come into the library itself,” she said.
“This is overdue for our community and something our people have wanted for a long time.”
Cr Geoff Hayward said this was not just about upgrading a building, but “preparing a waka for the journey ahead”.
“This is a gift, a vessel of learning, open to all,” he said.
“This community that has been waiting patiently for a facility that reflects its wairua, its mana and future. A new library is saying ‘Cannons Creek matters’.”
The library will be built with modular technology, meaning it will constructed in a factory and transported to the site, and can be added to or enlarged in the future if required. It will also have new computers for the public to use.
Originally, $20 million was set aside for a community hub in Cannons Creek in the 2018-38 Long-term Plan, but agreeing to the $4 million proposal and bringing the project forward was supported by Mayor Baker and councillors.
The community will be consulted during the design stage of the project.
