Hillcrest Library is set to return better than ever, with a long-planned upgrade brought forward following a fire in an adjoining shop in August 2025.
On 28 May 2026, Hamilton City Councillors voted for an expansion of Hillcrest Library at Masters Ave, taking into account community use, future growth, and damage caused by the fire.
The project, expected to be $5 million - $7 million, is significantly less and a more modest approach than the $16 million currently tagged for a Hillcrest Library upgrade in the 2029/2030 year of Council's current Long-Term Plan.
The building was insured on a like-for-like basis and the insurance payout would not extend to cover any enhancements. Now a direction for the site is confirmed, staff will move into the final stage of the insurance process to confirm the payout amount.
Councillors will also work with staff to identify opportunities for capital savings or deferrals in the current and 2026/27 financial years. Recommendations will be presented back to Council for consideration with the goal to offset some costs of the Hillcrest Library expansion.
Council’s Community Committee Chair Councillor Emma Pike said this is a great news for the Hillcrest community.
“Our Hillcrest community has really felt the loss of their library and it's shown how loved it is. With the extent of repairs required after the fire, it made sense to look at a solution that brings the library back sooner, meets current and future demand, and does so in a way that is more affordable and sensible for the city.”
Three options were considered by Council at the 28 May 2026 Council meeting: reinstating the library as it was and removing the Long-Term Plan funding for expansion; reinstating the library and keeping the Long-Term Plan funding for a future expansion; and – option three – completing a more modest expansion to the library now.
Before the fire in August 2025, Hillcrest Library was the busiest of the smaller libraries with around 82,000 visitors, 145,000 collection items issued and 227 community programmes a year.
Staff will begin the detailed design for the expansion, alongside opportunities for community feedback, before coming back to Council for approval to continue before the end of 2026.
The temporary Hillcrest Library at Hamilton Gardens will continue to stay open until the Masters Ave building is ready to reopen.
Photo: Hillcrest Library before it was temporarily closed in August 2025 due to fire damage.