Retail complex faces review

Rotorua District Council has employed an independent consultant to review the Redwood Centre retail complex following complaints about traffic and noise.

However, the developer of the centre, Tony Bradley, said the council was always going to do a review as it was a requirement of his resource consent after six months of operation.

He said while there had been complaints at the start, those had been worked through and "everything is working quite nicely".

Mr Bradley said he wasn't worried about the review and said he had received a lot of support for the complex.

The council's planning services manager, Liam Dagg, said they had received six complaints about traffic and seven relating to noise from the Anytime Fitness 24-hour gym.

Mr Dagg said the complaints had sparked the review and he thought what Mr Bradley was referring to was the preparation of a travel management plan, which was a condition of his original consent.

The council was going to invoke a review clause in the site's Resource Management Act consent conditions in May following traffic problems but it decided to hold off as tenants were still moving into the site.

Concerns had been raised about illegal right turns across Tarawera Rd, the visibility of cyclists using the cycleway, changing lanes while using the Te Ngae Rd entry, the use of the site as a shortcut and the speed of traffic on the site and on Tarawera Rd. Residents living next door to the complex had complained of a "booming noise" coming from the Anytime Fitness gym.

In June Mr Bradley applied for a variation to the original consent, along with consent to build a new block which would accommodate Rabobank as well as office space for a finance or insurance agency.

Mr Dagg said the council initially thought the traffic issues could be assessed through the consent process.

"However, when complaints were received about noise problems, it became clear that separating the consents and dealing with them as three processes would be more appropriate, that is, the application for office tenancies, the application to vary the original consent and the review process examining traffic and noise issues."

The council has engaged Wasley Knell Consultants to undertake the review, consider the two applications and make recommendations.

Outdoorsman Headquarters managing director Bryan French said traffic problems had increased since the Redwood Centre was built. A traffic island installed on Tarawera Rd for the Redwood Centre had made negotiating out of his business dangerous for delivery drivers, staff and customers and the island should be removed.

He said the speed limit needed to reduce from 70km/h to 50km/h and the cycle lane needed to be removed.

Mr French's concerns would be made available to the consultant as part of the review.