Sarjeant Gallery redevelopment resource consent gets go ahead
Published on 25 August 2014
25 August 2014
Mayor Annette Main has welcomed the granting of resource consent for the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui redevelopment project.
“This is exciting news for the Sarjeant, our district, our region and our community,” Mayor Main said.
“It is another significant step in getting under way a redevelopment project that will help us preserve and enhance this important civic amenity while protecting the nationally-significant collections that have been entrusted to us over the past 100 years.”
A one-day resource consent hearing, by independent Commissioner Christine Foster, was on held on July 21.
“It was plain, from the submissions and from the statements of submitters to the hearing, that the proposed redevelopment of the Sarjeant Gallery enjoys widespread community support,” Mrs Foster said in her report on the hearing.
“It is unusual to encounter such strong endorsement of substantive changes to such a valued building. I acknowledge the positive endorsement of the proposal by submitters and iwi. It is, in my view, a credit to the many years of preparation by the Council.”
The conditions attached to the resource consent require Wanganui District Council to have a conservation plan to ensure work on the 1919 building in Queens Park meets national and international standards. The Council will also need to plant trees to replace those that will have to be removed to make way for the gallery extension, and maintain the current gallery doors as a possible method of entry.
“We are very pleased with the conditions the Commissioner has set,” Mayor Main said.
“Some of the conditions have come about as a direct result of the valuable input given by members of the community through the submission process. It’s great that we’ve been able to respond positively to issues and concerns raised by the community through the discussions that have taken place and the conditions of the resource consent are a result of that process.”
Sarjeant Gallery Senior Curator Greg Anderson is delighted that the resource consent has been granted.
“On behalf of the Sarjeant Gallery Trust and gallery staff, I’d like to thank everyone who supported the Sarjeant by taking part in the resource consent submission process.
“The granting of the consent is another positive milestone in a gallery redevelopment project that’s going to be great for our district, region and community on cultural, social and economic levels. And there’ll be many more exciting milestones to come as this project unfolds, so watch this space.”
To learn more about the redevelopment project you can pick up the ‘Help Support Our Sarjeant’ brochure from Sarjeant on the Quay, 38 Taupo Quay, visit www.sarjeant.org.nz and go to ‘redevelopment’ or contact the Redevelopment Project Administrator Vivien Lindsay on (06) 349 3138, or at vivien.lindsay@sarjeant.org.nz.
The Commissioner’s report, including the conditions attached to the Resource Consent, and the Council’s Landscape Mitigation Concept Plan, which shows the plans for replacement trees and landscape planting can be found here.
The Sarjeant Gallery redevelopment project has the support of the Council and construction will commence once the required funds have been raised. The Ministry for Arts, Culture and Heritage required resource consent to be obtained before it would release Government funding towards the redevelopment project.