Save reserve, council told
Applause rang out in the New Plymouth council chambers as residents called for the protection of the city’s green spaces during the first day of hearings into the district’s Long Term Plan.
While it was not a ‘‘scientific measure’’, about 1400 submissions to the New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) dealt with its controversial plan to sell off an area of reserve land, including part of the Fitzroy Golf Course, for housing, Karen Venables, of the Save Fitzroy Golf Course campaign, told councillors.
Approximately 96 per cent of the submissions were opposed to the sale, she told yesterday’s hearing.
‘‘When I was here last time you said, ‘let’s trust the process Karen’.
‘‘We have recreational reserve land that has a protected status. I believe it is your role . . . to fight tooth and nail for those protected lands.’’
She also called for the council to focus on things that were needed and to be willing to ‘‘fail fast’’ – to realise when they were on the wrong track, and to stop and move on.
‘‘If we have too many flagship projects on the go at the same time we’re going to end up doing them all but doing them badly.’’
Submitter Allie Black said the term ‘‘recycling land’’ should not have been used in the council’s Long Term Plan document. ‘‘You all should be called up before the ombudsman for misleading information,’’ she said.
Tom Zhou, the creator of the ‘‘Save Fitzroy Golf Course’’ Facebook page, called on the council to honour the legacy of those who labelled the land as a recreational reserve. ‘‘We have been very fortunate as the residents of the New Plymouth district that we have so many beautiful places and green spaces for all the families to enjoy.’’
They were given reserve status to protect them, he said. ‘‘They had a vision, so forward thinking, that their future generations could enjoy. One hundred years later, today, I’m talking to you all about his legacy. Is selling this reserve land going to be your legacy? If you can sell the reserve land with its protected status, what else can you sell?’’
Richard Sheldrake compared the situation to the George Orwell novel Animal Farm.
‘‘It seems to be remarkably like sugar candy mountain in the book. Everything sounds so good. Why wouldn’t we want to do that?
‘‘It’s going to change for the ‘animals’ – the ratepayers – with higher rates and higher rates.’’
Chris Hill said there was a lot of ambiguity in the plan, and felt a nine-hole course in Fitzroy – the result of the proposed land sale – would struggle to survive, suggesting NPDC might have to take it on.
The hearings continue today and conclude tomorrow afternoon.