A Save Our City sign on Fenton St has been erected. Photo / Jo Raphael
A Save Our City sign on Fenton St has been erected. Photo / Jo Raphael
Rotorua MP Todd McClay has accused the Government of being "out of touch" with Rotorua over its plans to turn a large motel on Fenton St into transitional housing.
However, his comments have been shot down by Waiariki-based list MP Tamati Coffey, who says the Government is simply cleaning upthe mess left by the previous National government.
A resource consent application has been lodged with the council on behalf of Kāinga Ora - Homes and Communities. To get the go-ahead, the council will need to approve a land use consent which will allow it to operate lawfully under the District Plan.
McClay said there was "increasing outrage" from residents in Rotorua about what was happening around Fenton St.
"They don't want the Government renting or buying homes for the homeless. They want them to build houses. If they put as much effort into actually building homes as they are in paying too much for our motels, perhaps the problem would not be getting worse.
"With the Government seeking a resource consent to make this a permanent arrangement, it is admitting defeat and that they have failed to deliver on their housing promises."
McClay said many locals would not be happy with the proposal and the Government was "out of touch" if it didn't realise that.
"There is increasing outrage in Rotorua because of the Government's decision to confiscate Fenton St from local people and make homelessness permanent there."
A protest sign has been erected on Fenton St. Photo / Jo Raphael
Protest signs were erected by unknown people on a fence that surrounded the vacant land next to Wylie Court at the weekend. The signs opposed the Government buying commercial land for housing. One of the signs said "Save Our City".
McClay said it wasn't good enough that Rotorua found out about the Wylie Court proposal after it had made the resource consent application.
Aerial photograph of the site. Photo / Supplied
"Local people have a right to know what is going on in their streets and suburbs."
He believed housing the homeless in Rotorua was having a huge impact on Fenton St, Glenholme and the CBD and ruining the city's reputation.
He said the council must make the resource consent process notified and public.
"They cannot make decisions like this behind closed doors and in secret. Every councillor owes it to the people of Rotorua to let them express their views publicly."
He said with council elections looming next year, the people of Rotorua would be watching closely.
Coffey said since Labour had stepped into Government it had added 8121 new public housing places nationwide "to fix the housing and homelessness crisis we inherited".
"This Government been going hard finding housing solutions, to fill the huge gaps left by Todd McClay's National Government, who sold off our public housing stock and took Rotorua backwards when it put its head in the sand and denied there was a housing crisis.
"I am a strong supporter of any projects led by, or in partnership with Te Arawa as kaitiaki of Rotorua, where alongside Government, council and our community, we continue to address the housing crisis, improve whānau wellbeing and tidy up the mess left by [National].
"I thank Kainga Ora, as well as community and iwi housing providers across the country that are putting their shoulder to the wheel to help sort the housing crisis."
Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick was approached for comment but a response from the council's communications team said: "It would be inappropriate for the mayor to comment on a live consent application that is going through a statutory process."
The sign on the door at Wylie Court. Photo / Kelly Makiha
Glenholme resident and retired senior sergeant Phil Spackman, who has been vocal about his concerns over the area, said there were pros and cons to the proposed Wylie Court transitional housing plan.
He said he was pleased local iwi were helping with the homeless problem.
Wylie Court and the neighbouring vacant land was own by Te Arawa Properties Ltd Partnership and the registered office for the company is Te Arawa Group Holdings Ltd. The company has been approached for comment.
Spackman said his initial reaction was that people who lived on Wylie St wouldn't be happy.
"We have a tourist town with a golden mile which is looking less like a tourist town and less like a golden mile."
Spackman said while there had been little change to the bad behaviour residents in the area experienced, there were glimmers of hope.
He said some moteliers were starting to listen to their concerns and were cleaning up their mess, and not all the residents were causing a nuisance.
Council deputy chief executive of district development Jean-Paul Gaston had previously told the Rotorua Daily Post in a written response to questions that it was yet to be determined as part of the process whether the application would be publicly notified.
Kāinga Ora was approached to respond in relation to McClay's comments, but a spokeswoman said it wasn't appropriate for Kāinga Ora to respond to comments made by politicians.
Destination Rotorua chief executive officer Andrew Wilson was approached for comment.
