Community fears shut-out
Residents of a seaside suburb fear the public could lose out on a popular community facility because of Hutt City Council’s agreement with a private school.
The Days Bay Residents’ Association has raised concerns over a lack of consultation on an agreement between Wellesley College and the council to renovate tennis courts at Williams Park in Lower Hutt.
Association chairwoman Diane Cheyne said approval to issue a licence that allowed for the improvements had been granted during the coronavirus lockdown. The council had made little effort to consult with the public and details had only recently been made available, she said.
Under the arrangement, the school would foot 80 per cent of renovation costs to six courts, with the council paying for the remainder and future maintenance.
She said the school appeared to be the main beneficiary of the deal and questioned why public money should be used to support the ambitions of a private entity.
Wellesley has access to three courts, however the association was concerned about access to the rest of the courts during school hours.
A council spokeswoman said approval to issue a licence had been granted, but details of the contract had yet to be approved.
The council had budgeted up to $50,000 as its contribution to the project.
The courts needed to be upgraded and the partnership with Wellesley made this possible, council head of parks and recreation Marcus Sherwood said. He said the school expected to use the courts for three to four hours a day, on weekdays only. Casual users would still be able to use the facilities. Stakeholders had been invited to provide feedback, he said.