Guerrilla Gardening at Leys Institute

Local residents are so distressed by the lack of maintenance of our mothballed, forlorn Leys Institute that they have resorted to guerilla gardening.

A couple of weekends ago some St Mary’s Bay locals breached the wire fence cordoning off the Leys Library and Gymnasium, and proceeded to clean up the grounds. The lawns were mowed, the shrubs were trimmed and the gardens weeded, giving the buildings’ surrounds a much needed general spruce up.

Council officials and the Waitemata Local Board assured us all when the Leys Institute was closed that there would be ongoing maintenance of the buildings and the site. We certainly hope that this will happen, and that the local community won’t need to step in again.

The Waitemata Local Board is due to receive a report from council on community facilities in West Waitemata, including the Leys Institute, at a workshop on 25 August. Board Chair, Richard Northey, said to Friends of Leys Institute,

“On 20 August 2019 the Waitematā Local Board approved the development of an indicative business case to understand service and investment options to improve the use of the Leys Institute.

"Since Leys Institute’s closure, in December 2019, the council’s project team has been working to identify solutions to allow for the preservation and reopening of Leys Institute.

"The findings from this work will be presented to the local board for consideration and to seek a decision on the preferred options before going out to engage with the community on Leys future.”

The community will be heartened to hear that detailed work on strengthening the Leys is happening. They certainly expect the Waitemata Local Board to opt for full upgrading of the Leys Institute, and the return of the library and community services.

Friends of Leys Institute encourages all who are interested and have the time, to attend the next Waitemata Local Board meeting on 15 September. See the Local Board webpage for meeting details.

And do keep letting Waitemata Local Board members, and Councillor Pippa Coom, know of our expectations regarding the Leys Library and Gymnasium.

Friends of Leys Institute Co-ordinator, Helen Geary, heleng@maxnet.co.nz

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