The carpark in front of Te Ara Mātauranga, the new library and community hub being built at Waihī Beach, will be closed from Monday, May 5.

Work to reshape the area into a new layout with more parking spaces and better accessibility is expected to begin, said a statement from Western Bay of Plenty District Council.

The front carpark is expected to be closed until the new facility opens in July.

In the meantime, parking is available on the south side of the hall, around the public toilets and skatepark, and at the back (east side) of the hall.

If these areas are full, additional parking is available off Hillview Rd.

Before construction, there were 57 parking spaces in front of the existing library, which was reduced to 24 to allow for building work.

Once complete, there will be a total of 63 car parks in front of the library, around the back of the hall and in the new extension by the skatepark.

This will include four accessible car parks – three in front of the library, and one at the back – compared to just one at the front previously.

“Once it’s finished, there’ll be more parking, better access, and a simple layout to make it easy for everyone to enjoy the new facility,” said council operations manager Kerrie Little.

“We know it’s a bit of a disruption while the work’s happening, so a big thank you to everyone for your patience.”