Council delays marinas deal over unresolved loose ends

By BERNARD ORSMAN

The Auckland City Council has delayed a decision on the $46 million purchase of the Westhaven and Hobson West marinas to settle some commercial loose ends.

The council hopes to complete a deal in the next fortnight with the Government, which successfully bid $54 million last month to stop the marinas falling into private hands.

The meeting was adjourned for several minutes after a protester, 53-year-old Annie King, of Manukau, was removed from the council chamber by five security guards.

Mayor John Banks ordered her removal after a verbal barrage against the sale of assets and a new property role for the council.

The incident was reminiscent of chaotic scenes in March 2002 when 17 people were arrested over the sale of the council's pensioner housing.

Scott Milne, the councillor who chairs the waterfront working party, refused to say what unresolved issues the council had with the Government, except they were of a minor commercially sensitive nature.

"The council and the Government agree that it is in the best interests of Aucklanders that these marinas belong to the people of Auckland City.

"But if Auckland ratepayers are to stump up more than 85 per cent of the costs of the marinas we need to make sure they're getting a fair deal," Mr Milne said.

The purchase is expected to be financed from leasing the management of Westhaven, the largest managed marina in the Southern Hemisphere.

The decision follows a special consultative process in which the majority of submissions opposed buying the marinas from Ports of Auckland. Fourteen submissions supported the sale and 41 were opposed, including 26 submissions who believed that because the Government had already bought them there was no need for the council to buy them.

Two submitters, Penny Bright and Lisa Prager, called the public consultation process a sham.

But Mr Milne said it was daft listening to opponents who based their submissions on the basis that there were no grounds to sell the marinas because the ports company was 80 per cent publicly owned by Infrastructure Auckland.

Legal advice said the ports company was entitled to sell the marinas, he said.

The purchase of the two marinas is part of a new council plan to become more actively involved in urban projects.

Under the plan, approved last night, the council will buy land and either sell or lease it to developers with conditions to ensure quality urban development.

A development enterprise board, comprising private sector directors, will be set up to implement a strategy set by councillors.