Coronation Park's long forgotten management plan has returned to haunt the Tauranga City Council after it received another ear bashing from an outraged resident.
Francis Tonkin yesterday joined former Mount councillor Bob Tulloch in expressing outrage at last month's felling of a cluster of established 40-year-old trees near the Maunganui Rd boundary of the Mount downtown park.
Mrs Tonkin told a meeting of the council that she was shocked when she saw the extent of the felling. By the time she heard about it, the trees had gone and the area flattened.
"Nobody seemed to know that this destruction was going to happen."
She questioned why it had taken seven years for the council to respond to safety concerns set out in the park's management plan passed in 2006, following public consultation. Mrs Tonkin said she could find no one who knew about the safety concerns or why there were concerns. The park's plan should have been brought up to date to give the community another opportunity to express its feeling about the destruction of the trees, she said.
Mrs Tonkin wants the council to put the plan on hold until it had revisited aspects to further reduce the beauty of Coronation Park.
She was so upset at this "sacrilegious behaviour" that she declared she had no confidence in Mayor Stuart Crosby and "his colleagues".
Councillor Catherine Stewart said: "Would it surprise you to know that some elected members were not aware as well?"
Mayor Stuart Crosby said all elected members were notified about the felling at the same time as the media were informed on August 19 - two days before the work was carried out.
Meeting chairman David Stewart said Coronation Park's management plan went out for public consultation "some time ago" and he asked her whether the council should go out every year before it did any work.