‘Enough of Hobbit hordes’
Bad driving Pooing on the roadside Selfies with the cows
Hobbiton is being accused of trying to ‘‘hide the specifics’’ in its proposal to increase visitor numbers, as some nearby residents say they’ve had enough of traffic, hordes of tourists wandering their property and some even using the roadside as a toilet.
The country’s third largest tourist destination has put forward a development concept plan to Matamata-Piako District Council in which it has requested a cap of 3500 visitors per day for their movie set tours.
Their current resource consents is for 300,000 visitors a year, and the requested new limit could mean well over one million tourists a year could be funnelled up the narrow country road to the attraction.
The Lord of the Rings film site has proven wildly popular since its opening in 2002, put Matamata firmly on the tourist trail and created jobs. But its growth has put pressure on roads and other infrastructure as well as residents’ goodwill, with some submitters saying it’s time for council to tell more tourists they shall not pass. A panel of hearing commissioners met in Matamata yesterday to hear Hobbiton Movie Set’s proposal.
The company also wants to set up overnight accommodation and host up to 12 outdoor movie screenings and six amplified music events per year.
Council’s recommendation is to accept the plan change subject to amendments addressing matters raised by submitters. But one resident who lives on the same road as Hobbiton believes the tour company’s pitch contains inaccurate information.
David Reichmuth, who will speak to his submission today, opposes the plan change in its entirety, due to a lack of specific rules, policies and detail of ongoing operations. ‘‘You [Hobbiton] seek to hide this information from the people in order to gain their unknowing acceptance to your proposals, when the people haven’t a clue as to what you’re actually wanting to do,’’ he wrote.
‘‘You’re far too vague on specifics.’’
Reichmuth has also had issues with tourists walking onto his property, taking photos of his house and cows, and using the roadside as a toilet stop. He and his wife Evelyne only accepted Hobbiton’s earlier resource consent under the belief that 300,000 visitors was the maximum the tourist destination would accommodate.
‘‘It turns out Hobbiton wasn’t telling us the truth. So Hobbiton misled us into believing. Otherwise, we would never have given them our signature at that stage, and would have gone through the hearing process back then.’’
Another submitter pointed out that Hobbiton had earlier admitted to ‘‘grossly exceeding the limits of their existing resource consent’’.
‘‘This shows a high level of contempt for the terms of their resource consent, which has gone unpunished by the council,’’ Nelson McCosh wrote.
‘‘There is therefore no confidence that the proponents will adhere to the limits set in the proposed plan change.’’
He believes the plan should be declined for reasons including inaccurate modelling, a lack of due diligence, and the effects on the rural environment – particularly horses and livestock. The plan change seeks to establish a planning framework to enable the growth of tourism activities at Hobbiton while managing adverse effects.
Council received submissions from 15 parties including residents of Buckland Rd and Rangitanuku Rd, MatamataPiako District Council staff, the NZ Transport Agency, Powerco, and J Swap Contractors.
The submissions covered a wide range of issues with a focus on traffic safety and amenity impacts. A submission put forward by the New Zealand Transport Agency said that if visitor numbers exceed the expected
650,000 per year, then the predicted traffic movements of
387,000 per year will also be exceeded.
The agency was concerned that safety at the State Highway
29-Hopkins Road intersection and State Highway 27-Firth Street intersection would be compromised.
It noted that the only performance standard that could control visitor numbers, was the proposed cap of 3500 visitors per day during movie set tour hours; however 3500 visitors per day equates to a potential 1,227,500 visitors per year. The agency wanted a requirement that vehicle movements not exceed 387,000 per year.
This was backed by MatamataPiako District Council and J. Swap Contractors.
In a statement of evidence on behalf of Hobbiton, Bloxam Burnett & Olliver transportation engineer Cameron Inder, did not agree to the 387,000 vehicle movements per year.
‘‘A yearly cap on traffic flows would place an onerous traffic counting and monitoring requirement on [Hobbiton] that is neverending.
‘‘Such a cap is unnecessary and is not based on any effects assessment’’.
The hearing will continue today.