Hot debate over future of Pioneer Village | Taranaki News | Local News in Taranaki

The future of Taranaki Pioneer Village is in debate after the completion of the first half of a feasibility study that has been in the makings since January 2006.

The study was set in motion to determine the economic viablility of the village, whether it was lucrative for the council to step in to take it over and to explore possible options for its revamp.

It was decided in May last year that half of the two-year study would be funded by the Stratford District Council and the remainder would have to come from an outside party.

The Pioneer Village Trust stepped up to pay the balance, and the findings of the first year's analysis were discussed at the normal meeting of council last night.

Business analyst, Tony Watts, headed the feasibility study team and last night presented his findings to councillers and members of the Taranaki Pioneer Village Trust.

After undertaking extensive market research and looking at the situation from many angles, Mr Watts found the most viable solution was converting the village into a destination garden cafe with the heritage aspect as a backdrop.

Options such as closing the village or large-scale redevelopment were touched on, but Mr Watts did not see them as feasible for the village due to the loss of historical significance and the huge cost involved respectively.

The garden cafe option would still need a large cash injection, but would cost considerably less than full-blown redevelopment which was estimated at $15-20 million.

It was thought an initial $1 million would be needed just to clean the site.

Mr Watts proposed that if the village was to undertake the cafe-focused option, it would earn back the money invested in it, through profit, over the next few years.

He said the village could become a destination stop for travellers, based on a study done of the amount of traffic passing daily and that it could be used as an all-inclusive wedding venue.

Modernising the L.C. Harrison building to accommodate a garden-style cafe, upgrading the toilets and installing an I-site were all presented as ideas to encourage people to the village.

He also suggested the new facility could operate as a conference center, and moving some of the buildings could make site was more aesthetically pleasing.

It was suggested by the feasibility report that a capital budget of $1.3 million would be needed to complete stage one, the upgrade of the cafe and associated facilities, $522,450 would be spent in stage two, relocating buildings, improving roads, landscaping and installing new frontage and signage and $229,000 would cover stage three, which focuses on heritage enhancement work.

Mr Watts' suggestion that the cafe should be owned and operated by the village, under an experienced management team, with the council as a major partner in the commercial venture, was met with mixed reactions by councillers.

Mayor, Brian Jeffares, was most concerned that a commercial cafe option would take away the heritage aspect of the village, making it harder to go to a trust and expect support from public funds.

He also suggested that the council would not be happy about being involved in a risky business venture.

The council moved to accept the first stage of the study and is holding a special meeting next week to further discuss the report.