News
In recognition of the huge amount of public support and concern for Anderson House, the Invercargill City Council has taken action on defining the future of this iconic community asset.
A consulting firm has recently been engaged to investigate and identify options for the future of the historic home. The consultation process, which began earlier this week, is being funded by the Investigation, Impetus and Assessment Fund, which is supported by the Community Trust of Southland and administered by Venture Southland. It was established to investigate and promote regional development initiatives.
The current project has been initiated by the Invercargill City Council and feedback has already been sourced from the Southland Museum and Art Gallery, Invercargill Public Art Gallery (formerly Anderson House Public Art Gallery), Friends of Anderson House Committee, Heritage South and many other community entities. Overall project coordination is being provided by Venture Southland.
Bobbi Brown GM Tourism, Events and Community of Venture Southland is excited about the possibilities. “This is an amazing project to be a part of. There is so much positivity and passion within the community for the home. I think it is an important part of our history and identity as a region, but it is also about a continuation of the story and legacy of the Anderson family. The Andersons were philanthropic and valued the past, but they were also forward thinking and business minded. It is a story that ties together so much of what Southland is about.”
The consultation process is a simple one and intentionally so. Stakeholder meetings were held late last week and a simple survey will open today.
Please go to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/anderson-house to submit preliminary suggestions. Brown encouraged people to go online and fill the survey form in and believes that this is a great opportunity for people to share their ideas for the building and wider park.
Following this, a refinement of ideas and business case development process will be undertaken, including additional research in order to identify the three most promising concepts for future use of the historic home. The concepts will then go to public consultation in early November, with feedback and additional suggestions taken into account, prior to the options being discussed by Council in early December. Council wanted a process which would quickly refine the options, in order to help make an informed decision on the future for the facility.
Brown sees community support as one of the success factors for the project and the future of Anderson House. “When Anderson House and Park were gifted to the people of Invercargill by the family of the late Sir Robert and Lady Anderson, they gave us something more than just a physical asset. They gave us a model of forward thinking generosity, business acumen and community focus. I believe it is important that we look at options which build on these values.”