The Lava Bar and X Base Backpackers on Arawa St. Photo / Kelly Makiha
The Lava Bar and X Base Backpackers on Arawa St. Photo / Kelly Makiha
A proposal to convert the Lava Bar and X Base Backpackers into housing for the homeless has been met with strong resistance from Rotorua businesses.
A Chamber of Commerce survey has found 89 per cent of the 365 people who had responded as of Wednesday afternoon did not want theplans to go ahead.
A private property investor from Auckland, Peter Bidois of Torin Holdings, has told the Rotorua Daily Post he had signed a deal to buy the lease of Lava Bar and X Base Backpackers for 15 years.
He intended, if the deal went unconditional, to sub-lease the Lava Bar to Whānau Ora to build a medical centre for those in need and sub-lease the backpackers to Visions of a Helping Hand Charitable Trust.
George Ngatai, from Whānau Ora, has confirmed it will run the medical centre if the deal goes ahead.
When the Rotorua Daily Post revealed the plans last month, there was strong reaction from the community with people saying they did not want to see more homeless people moving to the central city, particularly as Rotorua Primary School was adjacent.
An online petition attracted more than 3500 signatures.
Rotorua Chamber of Commerce chief executive Bryce Heard said the survey was aimed at local business owners and chamber members and did not officially close until 4pm today.
"The survey has been supported by an unprecedented level of respondents in the first 24 hours it has been running."
Heard said he had met Visions of a Helping Hand chief executive Tiny Deane and Bidois in the past week and had proposed an alternative option of developing pensioner flats on the site.
The alternative proposal was added to the survey and so far had support from 66 per cent of respondents.
In response to a question "do you agree with the concept of supporting the homeless?", 66 per cent agreed "but only if they are genuinely Rotorua-based people".
Other important findings include that 95 per cent support the chamber's recent call for central and local government intervention to address the growing number of homeless people in the central city.
"We have been seeking a solution that is palatable and of benefit to everyone involved, but it is clear that the proposal for a new homeless hub in the CBD is on a collision course with business interests, if it proceeds in its original form," Heard said.
A spokesman for Visions of a Helping Hand Charitable Trust was approached to comment on the chamber's survey.
Visions of a Helping Hand chief executive officer Tiny Deane. Photo / File
Deane told the Rotorua Daily Post in a January 25 interview he was still deciding how to run the new site but it would be used for housing people without homes.
He later said the backpackers' would "not be utilised as a homeless hub".
"Discussions continue to be held towards how The Base could benefit the need within the community.
"There are no finalised decisions however it will not be a homeless hub or an emergency housing complex."
The Rotorua Daily Post this week asked Deane if the Lava Bar and backpackers' plan was still going ahead.
A legal spokesman said the information requested was "commercially sensitive".
"The trust is involved in consultation with a number of different entities in its endeavour to further the charitable objects of the trust," the written response said.
The legal spokesman said as previously stated, the trust would endeavour to consult with all relevant parties.
"Once the appropriate level of consultation has been completed a decision will be made by the trustees in relation to each opportunity or potential location. It is only at this point that it would be appropriate for the trust to comment further on specific opportunities or locations."
The legal spokesman did, however, say the trust was not looking at housing options on the corner of Bennetts and Panui Rds in Koutu.
The Lava Bar and X Base Backpackers on Arawa St. Photo / Kelly Makiha
