Couple quit house after landrent hike
AN elderly couple say they have been pushed out of Arrowtown because the Queenstown Lakes District Council has increased their land rent by almost $35,000.
But Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult said the council had ‘‘bent over backwards’’ to try to help the couple.
Bill Swann (78), who bought his Nairn St home in the late 1960s, described the rent hike as ‘‘ridiculous’’.
He and partner Gweneth Marshall (77) moved to Invercargill last month, saying they could no longer afford to live in Arrowtown.
Mr Swann’s 21year ‘‘Glasgow lease’’ came to an end in February, prompting a market review by the council, which owns the land.
The result was a jump from $4125 to $39,000 rent per annum.
However, Mr Boult said a number of options were investigated in 2007, including an opportunity to buy out the land component, making it a freehold property. That was not taken up by Mr Swann.
The council also proposed a further five years at $5000 per annum. But Mr Swann, who grew up in the historic goldmining town and worked for the council for about 30 years, said the situation could have been handled better.
‘‘Considering the age of a bloke, they could have looked at the lease a little bit differently.
‘‘I think they could have, but they said they couldn’t. To me, I think that is b ... . They have gone to $39,000. That, in my book, is just bloody ridiculous.’’
But Mr Boult said the council did recognise Mr Swann’s age.
‘‘For that reason we agreed to a rental level for the next five years that was very fair in the circumstances.
‘‘We had also been approached by Mr Swann outlining personal circumstances, which we factored in and, in short, [the council] bent over backwards to try to be as accommodating to Mr Swann as we possibly could.’’
The council was ‘‘surprised’’ when Mr Swann gave notice on the first day of the new lease term.
‘‘Because he would have been able to live for at least the next five years at a very advantageous rental rate.’’
Rent was assessed at 6% of the land value at the time of lease renewal.
Mrs Marshall said the situation was shocking and stressful.
‘‘I think most reasonable people would realise that too. It wasn’t financially viable for us to stay there.’’
The council has now bought the property and details were finalised early this month.
❛ Considering the age
of a bloke, they could have looked at the lease a little bit differently
Bill Swann
ROOMS that are temperaturecontrolled, a cafe, a gym, aerobics room, theatre, dance and music studio — this is not a Hollywood mansion, this is the new Wakatipu High School.
Although it may seem to be as social a setting as an Alister’s home because of its large open spaces, known as ‘‘modern learning environments’’.
Media were invited to a walkthrough of the new premises in Frankton yesterday.
I was suddenly a pupil again when proud principal Steve Hall had us all stand in a circle and announce our names to the group. We all shuffled in through a side entrance wearing highvis vests, hard hats and shoe covers.
It is still technically a building site, although, as the project manager from Hawkins Construc tion, Blair Grier, said, ‘‘We’re taking the wrapper off now.’’
The building has a whopping 10,000sq m of floor area over two levels.
Mr Grier said the build alone cost more than $50 million so I would expect it to be nothing short of spectacular — and it did not disappoint.
Most of the landscaping is yet to be done and there is still some scaffolding up outside but, much to my surprise, the inside is practically functional.
The $2.5 million worth of soft and hard furnishings are all pretty much ready to go.
The builders are on target to hand the keys to Mr Hall on December 22, although the move from the existing Gorge Rd school starts on January 3.
The gymnasium is equipped for basketball, netball, volleyball and badminton and has a mini rock climbing wall with an aerobics and weight room nearby.
The next stop was one of the ‘‘modern learning environments’’. I silently assessed how several teachers would teach several different classes in one very long, spreadout room — a recipe for disaster, in my mind.
Mr Hall said the ‘‘learning commons’’ were named after rivers and mountains in the district. Most of their furniture was either on wheels or easily movable.
He assured us teachers and pupils were well prepared for the change, having had makeshift learning commons at their present school.
The entire building is structured around the learning commons with small ‘‘breakout rooms’’ available if teachers or pupils need to work on something different.
The music, drama and dance suite is nothing short of beautiful, with three soundproof rooms available, a music studio and a dance studio.
It looks down to the flash theatre. The school’s executive officer, Andrea WiltonConnell, told us it had 450 seats.
For practical minds, there is an automotive suite where a car can be driven inside and hoisted up to be worked on.
The whole building is centred around an internal outside area covered in seats, benches, concrete and AstroTurf and shade sails.
The school was built in a publicprivate partnership between the Ministry of Education and consortium Future Schools Partners. It will open with the capacity for 1200 pupils and the starting roll in term one is expected to be about 980.
Sign me up.