Plans to consult criticised

Asking the New Plymouth community to give its opinion on multi-million dollar flagship projects the council hadn’t even discussed has been branded stupid by councillor Shaun Biesiek.

But mayor Neil Holdom has defended the decision, saying it was driven by the council’s auditors.

The New Plymouth District Council is seeking submissions on its 10 year plan, which asks people to comment on whether they want an upgrade to the Todd Energy Aquatic Centre, at a cost of $33.3 million, or to redevelop the TSB Stadium for $33.5m. Work would begin in 2026.

How to pay for whichever project is chosen has already proved controversial, as one option to get the cash involves selling half the Fitzroy golf course for development into housing.

The council’s preference is to extensively redevelop the TSB Stadium and surrounding area.

The plans released for consultation are from 2015, and are updated from plans made in 2012. Back then the cost was about $28m.

Biesiek said councillors have had no meetings or workshops regarding the old stadium plans.

‘‘We’re now consulting on stuff we haven’t decided ourselves if it is what we want, which is stupid,’’ he said.

At the extraordinary council meeting on March 26, Biesiek voted against the document that has been released for public consultation, because it contained plans that the council hadn’t discussed.

The stadium redevelopment plans were discussed by council in 2015, when they threw them out.

Back then the YMCA was going to go up there and run the facility, Biesiek said.

‘‘The YMCA will not be doing that now since they’ve just spent money on their building. So, even the business model is wrong. In my view it will come back to us and we’ll say that’s not what we want.’’

Holdom said the council’s preference was to simply talk about flagship projects and let the community decide which ones they wanted.

‘‘However the Auditor General’s office instructed us that we needed to put projects in there with costings and so the only two projects NPDC had any reliable costing for were the TSB Stadium and the aquatic centre and that was historic work that had been done on those two projects.’’

Given that the two projects are seven or eight years away, there would be plenty of time for the community to express their view, he said.

‘‘And if a project needed to be changed, refined or swapped out there is plenty of time to do that. It was auditor driven, but to get the consultation document approved that was the process we went through.’’

In an emailed statement council external relations manager Jacqueline Baker said the costs for redeveloping the stadium were updated in 2017.

‘‘(The projects) are proposed in the later years, 2026, of the draft 10-Year Plan and any decision to move forward with either would include further design work and public consultation. NPDC is urging the public to have its say by filling in a simple survey form by the 9 May.’’

Baker said the TSB Stadium is one of the busiest combined event and community venues in the country, attracting 120,000 people each year.

The Aquatic Centre upgrade proposal adds an indoor pool, but removes the outdoor pool and diving pool, which Baker said were only used for six months of the year.

The proposed flagship projects are suggestions and not set in stone, Baker said. ‘‘There could be another Flagship Project the public finds more favourable.’’