Whangarei District Council has made an almost $45,000 reduction in fees it charged for processing a draft change that Whangarei Racing Club wanted made to the district plan.
When applying for the controversial plan change that would re-zone 56ha of the club's land at Raukaka for residential lifestyle development, thenclub president John Fairley and WDC chief executive Mark Simpson signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in which the council undertook responsibility for the change. That was in 2012.
Because the plan change was for the commercial benefit of a club and not directly the public, the council later redesignated it a privately sought change and the club became responsible for most of the associated costs.
The club accepted at that point it would end up paying more than the $30,000 the WDC had originally indicated the cost would be, but the council's exemptions and objections committee heard the club's request for a reduction in some fees charged.
The committee has released its decision to slash $44,663 from a $122,942 bill to the club for initial work done that the council now accepts should have been part of its own "Master District Plan" costs.
The deductions comprise partial costs of a consultant engineer's stormwater report, a consultant's assessment of the draft plan change, the cost of an Environmental Court pre-hearing meeting with commissioners, fees for councillor John Williamson to be on that panel, WDC legal costs and associated on-charged staff fees.
The asset rich, cash poor club has borrowed $250,000 from the NZ Racing Board to see the draft Plan Change 113 through.
