Pocket public land sold off

Two pockets of public land in Forrest Hill and Hauraki have been controversially approved for sale to help fund Auckland Council’s $45 million Long-term Plan budget.

The land disposal went ahead despite half of the DevonportTakapuna Local Board voting to preserve them for public use.

The two properties were 2 Forrest Hill Rd, Forrest Hill, and 1/328 Lake Rd, Hauraki.

Neither site was classified as reserve land and both were directly exposed to busy roads.

However, the local board debate centred around whether either site could be converted into an open space the community would use.

‘‘These corner parks are actually for the ambience of drivers as they sit at the lights,’’ board member Jan O’Connor said.

‘‘29,000 drivers a day look at it while they’re at the lights at Lake Rd and they’re in road rage.’’

O’Connor also quoted a comment on the Hauraki Corner Residents Group Facebook page:

‘‘This small piece of grass may not make 100 per cent sense now but in 20 to 50 years, when it is surrounded by apartments (high rise), it will be the most valuable piece of dirt to a bunch of kids wanting to kick a ball or run around on grass like they did in the ‘old days’!!!’’

Board member Dianne Hale disputed there was a real public desire to use these open spaces.

‘‘These are not places people want to go and sit, recreate, eat their lunches, look at the view, smell the fumes, no,’’ Hale said.

‘‘If we start arguing for these bits of land it makes it much harder for the board to argue for bits of land that are of value for families, like the Lake Town Green.’’

Panuku Development Auckland, a land management organisation of Auckland Council, recommended selling the land to contribute to council’s $45 million Long-term Plan budget from 2015 to 2025.

A large part of this budget is for the City Rail Link.

‘‘As far as we’ve been been able to identify this is surplus land that does not have an identifiable council purpose,’’ Panuku portfolio review leader Letitia McColl said.

Board chairman Joseph Bergin used his casting vote to decide the 3-3 voting deadlock, and offload the two plots of land.