Exciting and innovative educational precinct planned!

The Crossways Community Trust has announced that an exciting and innovative educational precinct is being designed for Mt Victoria, aimed at incorporating the Crossways Community Crèche and the Clyde Quay Kindergarten in purpose-built facilities within the Crossways Community Centre.

This is a hugely positive step for local parents, their children and the campaign to save Crossways, we envisage the entire ground floor of Crossways being re-purposed for early childhood education, with dedicated facilities for both the Crèche and the Kindergarten in a fully renovated and extended building.

The intention is to renovate and extend Crossways Community House, whilst enhancing and preserving the heritage values of the site and the surrounding garden area. Community meeting facilities will be moved to the upper floor with a lift, with vastly improved access and more flexible spaces.

Discussions have been held with the Crossways Crèche and the Kindergarten Association there has been very strong support from parents and current Crossways users. It provides a practical, effective and community-centric use for our community house. Given the demographic changes in Wellington – with recent pressure on both early childhood and school rolls – the improved facilities will be a boon for local families.

There is no intention to merge the Crèche and the Kindergarten, and that both would continue as stand-alone educational entities, operating independently in the same manner as they do today.

The education precinct in Mt Victoria has received support from local Councillors, Deputy Mayor Ian McKinnon and Cr Iona Pannett.

“This is a very positive development for families in central Wellington”, said Cr Pannett. “The Council has a vision of a vibrant, family-friendly inner city, and having modern early childhood educational facilities is a key part of this vision. We’re very encouraged by the direction the Mt Victoria community is taking with Crossways, and we will be actively working with the Trust and the community to see how best to bring an educational precinct to fruition.”

The community will be consulted on the next phase of the project, to complete the initial design work for the new Crèche, Kindergarten and the community facilities. This is expected to occur over the next few months, and will involve discussions with the Ministry of Education and the Wellington City Council, as well as local residents. These discussions will inform the final design of the extensions and renovations to Crossways. Construction is likely to begin sometime in 2009, following the purchase of the property from the Presbyterian Church.

As Crossways still needs to be purchased, we will be continuing our fundraising drive and updates of the latest will be added to this site.