Green light for Zespri Mt expansion

Zespri has been allowed to extend its Mount Maunganui head office onto an adjoining open grassed area regarded by nearby residents as a neighbourhood park.

Tauranga City Council today backed the case put up by Zespri which will put a temporary building onto the front of the park until it had either redeveloped on the council-owned Maunganui Rd site or found a new location on which to put a new head office.

The council's ruling went against opposition from 44 people, the majority of whom wanted to secure the area for the Mount Maunganui Playcentre which faces an uncertain future on Blake Park.

Zespri applied to put the prefabricated offices on the commercially-zoned green space for two years, or possibly a few months longer if it had not finished building its new head office.

Opponents concerns included the loss of amenity, stormwater issues and the building worsening parking congestion already created by the large number of Zespri employees.

They said more off-street parking was needed for people using the library and Plunket.

Late changes by Zespri to the design of the building meant that all the trees bordering Matai St will remain, leaving two of the trees to be removed from the cluster fronting Maunganui Rd.

The Little Big Markets will shift to the rear half of the park not being built on. A report is being prepared on the future of the green space and was due to be considered by the council next February.