Unloved reserve could take housing
Proposals to convert a run-down scrap of reserve in a prime location into a housing complex are being explored by officials.
The former Manawatu¯ Bowling Club land on the corner of Fitzherbert Ave and Park Rd, Palmerston North, has sat empty for 15 years, with the bowling greens long grown over and the clubrooms destroyed by fire in 2009.
City planner David Murphy said there were layers of processes to go through to free up the reserve land for development.
But the site provided potential for the city council to demonstrate a fresh approach to providing much-needed housing near the city centre.
In one scenario, the block could be subdivided to create 17 small but conventional sections for two-storey houses.
The neighbouring tennis club pavilion would be retained.
At the other extreme, a series of highrise apartment blocks clustered around a central green space could include up to 80 apartments.
The medium-density options in between could create 34 two and threebedroom units, with a maximum height of two or three storeys, and a shop, cafe or commercial building on the corner.
It would include a central, shared green space.
Mayor Grant Smith said he liked the plans and thought the site was ideal for housing.
It was near reserves and only two blocks away from the city centre.
‘‘We do have a housing crisis here. This can’t come soon enough. It’s really close to everything.’’
Cr Brent Barrett said it would be good to ‘‘turn an eyesore into an asset’’.
Cr Rachel Bowen said it was an opportunity for the council to show other developers how to create ‘‘a quality-built environment’’ in a different way to how housing had been provided in the past.
Murphy said it could take up to 18 months to two years to unlock the restrictions on use of the land.
The first step would be a round of public consultation about the reserve, and the council would also need to ask Parliament to change the laws controlling the sale or development of the city’s reserve land.
Money the council made from the sale of the land would be earmarked to pay for other reserves’ development. The council’s finance and performance committee has recommended making a start on preparing for the first round of public consultation.