A planned boating centre at Takapuna is causing ripples among beach users, they tell Edward Rooney.
The sound of backslapping resounds across the North Shore over a planned underground yachting centre at Takapuna Beach.
A Civic Award was handed out earlier this month to the group behind the project, the Harbour Access Trust, which has gleaned $3 million from North Shore City Council, $3 million from the Government and another $2.5 million from a yet-to-be-named community fund.
All without so much as turning a sod, or even lodging a resource consent application.
With such success comes inevitable grumbling. But some of the concerns do appear to have foundations. This National Ocean Water Sport Centre has been sprung as a fait accompli on the people who use Takapuna Beach.
I offer Ruth Ell an icecream at the site, but it's too cold and windy for one of those. Mrs Ell tells me about her objections.
"I've got nothing against yachting and nothing against a National Ocean Water Sports Centre," she says. "But how many yachting regattas are they planning to have? If you're spending this amount of money, you're going to want to use it a lot."
That, says the former community board member and longtime supporter of Takapuna causes, with yachting competitions in her family, means much of Takapuna Beach could be closed to the public for large blocks of the calendar.
Most of the 1800sq m centre will be beneath what is now road and footpaths on The Strand and carparks next to Takapuna Boating Club. It will house boat storage, administrative and coaching areas, plus showers, a kitchen, toilets, first aid and wash-down areas in the lower level.
Above ground will be a pavilion, surrounded by a large, tiled plaza. Where there is now a bluestone block wall facing the beach reserve, windows will line the front of the building.
The Harbour Access Trust, registered in 2007 with a board of Ralph Roberts, Dave Donaldson, Peter Montgomery, Peter Wall and Sandra Wakeford, was established for seven aims - none appears to cover this project. Chairman Peter Wall says it was set up to get wharves built at Takapuna and Browns Bay. "But that is still very much part of our objectives, to bring those wharves forward."
Mr Wall says planners have been hired to finalise the proposal and a resource consent application should be lodged later this year. "We'd like to think we could get it in before the closedown at Christmas," he says.
Not yet decided is whether or not the trust will ask for the proposal to be publicly notified. At the first and only public announcement of the project in July this year, the trust promised to keep the public informed through more project information sessions. However, there have been no more in the ensuing two months and Mr Wall says the next session is unlikely until after the resource consent application is completed.
Feedback
A report to North Shore City Council's parks committee in August notes there has been support as well as concerns and questions raised about the National Ocean Water Sports Centre. However, trust chairman Peter Wall says 98 per cent of the response has been overwhelmingly supportive. "There have been a few [concerns] but that's to be expected as part of the process."
We want a say
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.