An artist's impression of what the proposal would look like, minus the additional planting and visual impact mitigation measures which are a condition agreed to by the council. Image / Supplied
An artist's impression of what the proposal would look like, minus the additional planting and visual impact mitigation measures which are a condition agreed to by the council. Image / Supplied
Hastings District Council has been granted resource consent to construct and operate a water treatment and storage facility at Frimley Park.
The decision follows an independent commissioner's hearing in July which heard council representatives and Frances Shotter, representative of resident group the Friends of Frimley Park, who opposed the application.
Shotter said she was "disappointed" with the decision and feels her concerns and an online petition with 3000 signatures were not taken into enough consideration.
"I feel that they've gone back on the original intended use of the park that the Williams [family] gave it for.
"It shows others that if they want to give land, they need to make it a reserve."
The facility will include a reservoir 38m in diameter and 9m tall to roof level, with a 6m-high domed roof, a utility building with a 480sq m floor area and the installation of four bores.
It is being built as part of the Hastings Drinking Water Strategy (2018) which was formulated following the Havelock North water crisis in 2016.
The Frimley Park site is one of two water treatment and storage facilities proposed in Hastings, with council set to provide further details on the second - on the corner of Southampton St East and Hastings St South - on Friday.
As part of the application council committed to removing the maintenance sheds currently located near the playground to re-instate that area to the park.
In the council's application submission, it was noted that the water treatment and storage facility will occupy about 1.4 per cent of the park and the maintenance sheds currently occupy 1.2 per cent.
Frimley resident and spokeswoman for the Friends of Frimley Park Frances Shotter is disappointed with the decision. Photo / File
There will also be trees planted around the facility for visual mitigation.
"It's sad - it's a really beautiful tree park.
"It's not like flower beds you can stick in one year and take out, these [trees] take years to grow," Shotter said.
A 15 working day appeal period is available to the parties who submitted on the original consent application.
Shotter said the group cannot take the issue any further as it does not have the money to do so.
A council spokesperson said the council is now actively considering declaring and classifying Frimley Park as a reserve under the Reserves Act.
"It is the intention that the majority of Frimley Park will be classified Recreation Reserve, with the small areas (approximately 1.5 per cent of the full Park) needed for the newly consented water reservoir and treatment plant and other longstanding infrastructure to be classified Local Purpose Reserve."
"There is a process for classifying it as such which will be reported to council in the "near future."
"Development within Frimley Park is already restricted by the Hastings District Plan and the District Wide Reserves Management Plan.
"If the park is vested under the Reserves Act, there will be further restrictions on any development that can occur."
Shotter feels the reserve classification will be a small win.
