Public consultation extended on Tauranga Corrections site proposed for Burrows St

Grace Rd and Neighbourhood Residents' Association's Lee-Ann Taylor (front left) and Phil Green (front right) are protesting the Community Corrections site being built on Burrows St. Photo / George Novak

The Avenues community is largely in an uproar after the Department of Corrections announced it was proposing to build a Community Corrections site on Burrows St. Now, they may have more time to challenge the proposal. Bay of Plenty Times reporter Jean Bell checks in with the key people in the battle.

People will have more time to have their say on the establishment of a controversial Community Corrections site on Burrows St, following an uproar among residents and businesses rallying against the plan.

The Department of Corrections says the public consultation period has been extended and a final decision on the site has not yet been made.

Meanwhile, the residents' association is gearing up to continue the fight against the proposal while the local school is satisfied that the site will not pose a significant risk to students and staff.

The proposed Community Corrections site, which awaited Tauranga City Council consent, would see around 100 offenders visit the area per day.

The proposal would see the three existing Community Corrections sites in Tauranga merged into one.

Community offenders would see their probation officer, take part in rehabilitation programmes and meet up with community service teams before heading out to complete tasks such as cleaning graffiti.

The 2693sq m block on Burrows St where the Department of Corrections proposes the site is built. Photo / George Novak

Construction of the new office would begin late this year and finish in early 2021.

Grace Rd and Neighbourhood Residents' Association spokeswoman Lee-Ann Taylor said there had been a "huge outcry in the neighbourhood" and she had received more than 30 letters from concerned residents.

"There is a feeling that Corrections are not hearing their voice."

Following a meeting among association members, Taylor said they had written a letter to Corrections to outline their concerns and requested the community feedback period be extended to allow for a more comprehensive consultation.

Elderly residents in the area were "petrified" about the presence of offenders in the neighbourhood, to the point it may affect how often they left the house if it went ahead, Taylor said.

There were concerns around increased traffic and congestion on the street and the surrounding area, she said.

A further public meeting was set to be held next week.

St Mary's Catholic School principal Ben Fuller said although it would be preferable to not have the facility on Burrows St, the school was confident it would pose no major risk to the school's pupils.

He said school representatives - himself and two members of the Board of Trustees - had met with Corrections, who had assured the school that the typical offender visiting the officer was low-risk.

Regarding the safety of children walking to and from school, he said the facility would not be open until 9.30am, which was after school began. He said few children walked to school because most used the bus or were dropped off by parents.

He said he understood the concerns of the community and said the school was preparing a letter to send out to parents to keep them informed.

"Parents are rightly concerned," he said.

Department of Corrections district manager Mark Nijssen said no final decision had been made in relation to the site.

He said community engagement started on July 29 and had been extended to allow sufficient time for local residents to fully engage with the proposal, discuss any concerns and seek further information before providing their feedback.

A date had not been set for the end of the consultation period, which would only be set after all meetings had ended.

There had been 55 community responses received by Corrections to date, which represented about 10 per cent of the addresses that were canvassed.

The main concerns raised were around public safety, the number of offenders, the proximity to schools, and the impact on traffic and parking.

He said community consultation was ongoing with local residents and organisations through telephone, email and face-to-face meetings.

"Once community engagement is complete, a decision will be made regarding an application to Tauranga City Council for their consideration and approval of our proposal."

Tauranga City Council general manager regulatory and compliance, Barbara Dempsey, said as of Wednesday, the council had not received a resource consent application for the site.

Dempsey said there had been "strong interest" from the community regarding the proposed development and the council was directing people to the Department of Corrections for more information regarding the specifics of the proposal.

Concerned?

The Department of Corrections is happy to talk to members of the community if they have questions, concerns or want more information.

Contact Karen van der Zee, acting lead service manager, Community Corrections, Tauranga. Email: karen.vanderzee@corrections.govt.nz.