A new purpose-built Emergency Coordination Centre (ECC) for our community is a step closer to being built on Potae Avenue in Lytton West.

It will provide a permanent solution to replace the existing ECC arrangement, which must be set up when activated, at Council’s Awarua building in Fitzherbert Street.

Councillors voted unanimously at the Civil Defence Emergency Management Group meeting this week to proceed with this location.

The new location is close to the hospital, which has a helipad and an emergency water supply, and it’s outside of the flood and tsunami inundation zones.

Council Community Lifelines Director Dave Wilson says all going well the community facility will be complete by mid to late next year.

“The ECC will provide a dedicated facility for emergency management personnel to coordinate and manage emergencies from across the region”

The Long-Term Plan 2021-2031 allocated $1m for the build on council-owned land at 11 Potae Avenue.

Mr Wilson says the new ECC structure will be a purpose-built facility that will be activated and operational in response to an emergency event when a coordinated response is required.

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