Group says it will fight council
The Brook Valley Community Group, denied the opportunity to speak at next week’s Nelson City Council public forum, says it will go to the Environment Court if the council changes tack on the planned Brook reserve.
The group has sought close involvement with the council’s planning for a Brook recreation reserve. It made submissions on the proposed management plan, which is on the agenda for the council meeting next Thursday.
The reserve takes in the Brook Valley Holiday Park, the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary’s headquarters and has been earmarked as the possible terminal for a gon- dola to ferry mountainbikers and sightseers to the top of the Grampians.
The group is perturbed by a recommendation that the council amend the draft plan by changing the area’s status from a recreation reserve to a local purposes reserve. It argues that the public has not been consulted on this change, and that if it goes ahead the council will be avoiding its responsibilities under the Local Government Act.
It wanted to address the council on this, but Mayor Rachel Reese said no, citing that the subject matter of the proposed public forum was covered by a statutory hearing process.
In a submission drafted for the public forum if it had been permitted to speak, group leader Christo- pher St Johanser said a change in status for the land would affect its proposed uses. It could allow changes that would not be permitted in recreation reserves.
This was ‘‘plainly an expedient action which denies the public any opportunity to debate its merit’’. The group would appeal such a decision, especially if resource consents were granted for activities contrary to the Reserves Act for recreation reserves.
The mayor told the Nelson Mail that the request to speak had to be declined.
‘‘Otherwise the public forum can run as a re-run of the hearing without officer advice and without all the parties having the chance to give further submissions — therefore not a level playing field.’’ The submissions and hearings process was fully contained within the Reserves Act process, she said.
The council’s consultant on the management plan, Rob Greenaway, said the consultation had gone ‘‘well beyond’’ the requirements of the Reserves Act.
The community could proceed with further planning and develop- ment of its ideas for the site ‘‘where they comply with the agreed vision, objectives and policies of the plan’’.
The recommended local purpose status responded to ‘‘technical issues’’, Greenaway said.
‘‘The change from recreation reserve to local purpose reserve (recreation) better allows for activities which might be based within one reserve but which support activities on another site – such as the Cawthron Forestry Project, and activities carried out by NMIT, DOC and the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary.’’
Long-stay residential camping was not consistent with recreation reserve status, but could occur within a local purpose reserve, he said.