WHAKATĀNE District Council will soon launch a new service that will enable areas within the main council building to be available for hire.

The Tōtara Event Space includes the council chambers and two other rooms, which can be hired separately or in full outside of business hours.

The service, designed for community and charitable groups, businesses and organisations to hold meetings, networking events and seminars, is a result of the council building redevelopment and desire from elected members that part of the building would act as a community hub for public use.

General manager people and engagement Emlyn Hatch said a lot of work had been done to ensure the service fulfilled the needs of the community, while also considering the health and safety of people and the building.

“There is a robust process in place for those interested in hiring the venue, and concierges will be on-site before, during and after the booking period to help ensure everything runs smoothly.”

Room Tōtara has capacity to seat 110 guests and can be set up in four different layouts.

Room Miro and Room Kererū can seat 25 guests and are designed for smaller-scale meetings.

Tea and coffee facilities are provided, and a kitchen is available for use.

Audio-visual equipment is available for use in both rooms.

Mr Hatch said the fee structure, approved by the council yesterday, would fully cover the costs associated with operating the space.

“The fees, which range from $240 to $500 for the evening, are based on similar local venue options. We’ve made sure there will be no direct impact on ratepayers for the service.”

There are currently also two smaller meeting rooms available free of charge for community groups to use at various times of the week during business hours.”

The event space will be available from next month on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from 5.30pm to 8.30pm.