Submission on Proposed Park Disposal

Warren & Patricia Slater

‘Kauri View’

Riding Downs Way

R.D.9.

Whangarei 0179

 

Site Location  Part Okara Park

Legal Description The area comprising 5.8111 ha more or less being:

  1. All lot 1 DP 131686 as comprised in CFR NA77A/710 (the property currently leased to the Old Boys Rugby Football Club); and
  2. Part lot 3 DP 208275 (being part of the land in CFR 110705) and being that part of the Okara block identified as lot 1 in Figure 1 of the attached discussion document

 

This is our submission on the Disposal of the above Park by the Whangarei District Council

 

We ‘seek an Amendment to the proposal’ on the following points 1, 2 & 3

 

1/  The whole community needs to be asked if it wishes to sell off

     recreational green areas?  (Postal ballot, referendum, or another

     means)    If not stop now !

 

2/  If a sale is to go ahead, it needs to be advertised on an OPEN

     MARKET, rather than the normal behind closed doors approach which   

     can leave Council open to criticism etc. (Needs to be more transparent)

 

3/  There needs to be consultation with existing retailers in our town. There

     appears to have been no consultation with the existing retailers

     of our town and what effects a complex as this will have on them?

 

And then clarification on the following points needs to be addressed

 

4/   Who’s valuation?  more than double the current market value’. Needs

      clarification with valuations of community assets readily available for

      inspection by the public.

 

5/    What types of shops are envisaged for this mall complex? The types of

       shops that have been portrayed may be out of the reach of many in the

       Whangarei region. Only a minority go to Auckland to shop, as briefly

       mentioned in the media. Many cannot  afford the petrol to go to

       Auckland let alone shop and spend there.

 

6/    Your literature states “a consortium headed by Hill Construction

       Limited”? -   Companies Office records has - Bernard Wayne Hill  as the

       only shareholder in BWH Properties Limited with 100 shares. There is

       No mention of Hill Construction Ltd. This needs clarification, Who are 

       the people you are dealing with when selling the citizens property?

 

7/    Advertisements recently placed in “Property Plus” tells it is possibly a

       DONE DEAL. Who would spend money on this if not nearly a done

       deal?  Costs of advertisements are  $956-25 inc GST  per page/ per

       insertion.

 

8/    Has this developer been selected in the same way, as has been done

       in the past, for Council projects or contracts?

 

9/    Where are the other interested developers. Where are they and when

       are they to be given an opportunity to do a presentation to the

       community on this or another proposal?

 

 

10/   All current projects eg. 2nd harbour crossing, Porowini Ave extension,

        Southend Ave/High Street development and now this, appear to

        centre around certain groups of people in this town. Is this just a

        coincidence or is it planned?

 

 

We wish to personally attend and present the support of our submission