The first step in the appeal process for the Mount Hot Pools Development takes place today with the parties involved engaging in mediation.
It is being attended by Tauranga City Aquatics Ltd, the Mount Protection Society and the Tauranga City Council and is closed to the public.
Mount Hot Pools.
TCAL, a commercial company controlled by the Tauranga City Council, is appealing commissioner Greg Hill's decision, which denied planning consent for an expanded hot pools development.
The development will take 24 camping sites from the surrounding holiday camps, which is public reserve land.
Greg Hill found the redevelopment is non-complying under the Resource Management Act.
He stated:
It would have more than minor adverse effects with some significant adverse effects. These include the adverse effects on the landscape, visual amenity, the loss of open space and transportation, especially car parking.
These effects cannot be appropriately avoided remedied or mitigated and are not outweighed by the positive effects of the proposal.
The application is inconsistent with the operative and proposed district plan provisions relating to landscape protection, public open space amenity values, and transportation.
It is of a scale not supported by the conservation zone which has as its main purpose to protect and conserve the values of the site, in this case the outstanding landscape feature of Mauao.
It is also inconsistent with those related provisions in the NZ Coastal Policy Statement and the Regional Policy Statement.
Non-complying is a significant legal hurdle and TCAL is expected to try for a development that is reduced in scale.
The Mount Protection Society is totally opposed to any further encroachment of the hot pools onto public reserve land.
They also say an expanded hot pools complex will not work at the end of the Mount Maunganui isthmus because of traffic and parking issues.
13 comments
PROTECT
Posted on 19-07-2011 11:13 | By STRAITAS
Go the MPS kick butt. Give them heaps KIA KAHA and Fix what got
IT IS ALL ABOUT PRESERVING THE MOUNT
Posted on 19-07-2011 11:57 | By WOFTAM
Go MPS, don't let them try and bend the ball past you, make them do it righ.
MPS
Posted on 19-07-2011 20:01 | By Hess
Godd work guys. Keep it up.This should never happen.
Next step for TCAL ...
Posted on 19-07-2011 22:12 | By Murray.Guy
The next step for TCAL is to present a variety of 'fully costed' options to elected members. It's disappointing TCAL and TCC chose to proceed with mediation as it may be that the 'consent not required' option is chosen, being the upgrade and filtration compliance, sundry maintenance and disability ramp. More ratepayer $'s for lawyers and planners!
@murray.guy
Posted on 20-07-2011 13:17 | By PeteDashwood
A selection of "fully costed options" is good, but my concern (and apparently the concern of a number of people who have been posting comments here) is HOW those costs are reached. If there is no tender process how can we know that the best value is being received? I can't get an answer to repeated polite requests to TCAL to comment on whether they followed a tendering process for the maintenance; (rumour has it that it was simply awarded to the contractors who would have done the redevelopment as a kind of "consolation prize" because the "troublemakers" scotched the project. (At least until it can be appealed...)) Even leaving aside all the other poorly handled areas of the TCAL operation, like most ratepayers, I believe TCAL's primary responsibility is to get the best value for our money that they can. If they are allowed to simply present "fully costed options" to Council, with no transparency as to HOW those costs were arrived at, no requirement to go to public tender so there are competitive bids, and no answerability to anyone for their financial decisions, how is that any different to simply writing them a blank cheque to build whatever empire they like with our money? The Mount Hot Pools are a national treasure. We certainly need to keep them in good repair and nobody really exects that to be free. But there needs to be an attitude adjustment on the part of the TCAL management to recognize that power brings responsibility and they are answerable and accountable. If they can simply adjust the figures for attendance (and the ones presented currently are not credible) and use that as a basis for mortgaging the future profits in pursuit of empire building, what use is that as a "fully costed option"? It's still wrong. (And "somebody" will have to bail it out when it all goes pear-shaped. BOTTOM LINE: 1. Transparency through public tender, independent audit of attendance figures and projections if these are to be used to finance future development, and at least a fighting chance that the "fully costed options " presented are viable and feasible. 2. No extensive redevelopment without Council approval (whether it is ratepayer funded or not) and then only after proper presentation and consideration to all parties, including the residents of Mt. Maunganui and the ratepayers of the area served by Council. FINALLY: Recognition by TCAL that their brief goes beyond just managing a facility; there is a responsibility that requires sensitivity and proper communication. They should seek to engage with the community, not alienate it. MOST IMPORTANTLY, they must recognise that if someone raises an issue about the pools (like the temperature variance) that doesn't make them a "troublemaker"; it is a reason to check that nothing has been missed. Similarly, if people ask questions which you might not like to answer, (like: "Did you actually go to Tender for the pool maintenance?"), be prepared to answer honestly without deflection or smokescreen. In other words, have nothing to hide and be honest. That way, if you get it wrong, people will be much more disposed to cut you some slack. I fervently hope the Commissioner's findings are uphelp and this grandiose development which we don't want and can't afford, is not allowed to proceed.
@ Peter DW and MURRAY
Posted on 20-07-2011 17:44 | By NEFARIOUS
Shocking state of affairs ... this processs has got past teh RMA Consent process and TCC is still awaiting a business plan and a full costing on it, incredible !!!!! That speaks massively for teh shambles around the place.
FIRE THE TCAL POOBAHS
Posted on 20-07-2011 17:49 | By Hebegeebies
P.D. ~~ one of the best summaries I have read on TCAL and its little tricks.TCAL no valid business case for Hotpools no tender procedure for repairs and the contractor is not a Pool specialist.The cost plus mentality is appalling.The TCAL outfit is a TCC Council CCO 100% Council owned 100% Council funded.Taken to its natural conclusion TCC are ratepayers servants and that makes TCAL ratepayers servants also.Instead of the culture of treating ratepayers and residents like sh** how about some accountability transparency and prudent spending.
@ PeteDashwood
Posted on 20-07-2011 20:02 | By Nigel Barker
Some excellent comments. I doubt that you will get a reply from Cr Guy ~ It appears he to is becoming one of the 'spout'n'run' group. And there are lots in the TCC & TCAL camps. Very easy to identify them ~ they come into Sun Live, 'spout'n'run' and don't return to discuss or debate with 'The Citizens.' I reckon their mum's n dad's never told them 'you can run but you can't hide'. -Citizens Monitoring Council-
Dirty tactics
Posted on 20-07-2011 20:12 | By Summerlove
TCAL are all bout tricks and dirty tactics to get what they want such as a facebook page being the only place they or their ratepayer funded PR company will answer questions but you have to 'like' the page before you can post a question and the closing date for submissions being 17th December just before all the regular campers at the Mount camp came in for their annual holidays. They are playing this down as a hot pool revamp and extension with a few massage rooms to get peoples support. It is not, it is a separate business a wellness centre for the few wealthy people who want that sort of thing. It is going to take up a whole lot of camp sites, the same sites where school children from round New Zealand come to learn about our beautiful Mauao, come and take part in local tourism activities. Also where over 100 families come to stay and enjoy their summer and while they are here I'm sure they put a lot more into the local economy than a few people wanting a massage or spa treatment would. We need to protect this precious reserve from these people (TCAL) as it seems like they will do anything to get their own way.
Getting a bit of News of The World look about it
Posted on 21-07-2011 08:53 | By Investigator
Axe all those responsible for the current MOUNT HOTPOOLS debacle and move on otherwise the damage being done to the Tauranga Aquatic facilities will be irreparable not to mention the brand image.TCC and TCAL need to stand up and be counted.
@Responses
Posted on 21-07-2011 13:57 | By PeteDashwood
Thank you all for your comments on my post addressed to Murray Guy. Like most of you,I feel very strongly about this. I see that today the mediation has failed so it looks like they will not win their appeal. The trouble for most of us is that we can rail all we like but there is little we can actually DO. I suggest that everybody remember this debacle when it comes to the next Council elections and make sure that prospective candidates are quizzed as to what they intend to do to improve TCAL transparency. Nigel, it may not be fair to beat Murray Guy up for not responding; he is a busy man and he is not required to respond to people here. Nevertheless, it would be good (and something else to remember at election time) if he did respond. Let's just hope the appeal is thrown out.
Fight this
Posted on 21-07-2011 16:03 | By Summerlove
It would be nice if we had an endless supply of money like TCAL to fight this then maybe we could hire a PR company...
@Summerlove
Posted on 21-07-2011 17:09 | By PeteDashwood
1. Facebook: Thanks for letting us know about the requirement to "like" before you can post. (Says it all really... :-)) I made some comments about this previously. If they are serious about engaging with the public then they should use the channels the public are using. Facebook is important for PR, but it can't be a serious contender for meaningful discussion of the issues. Their blog could be possibly, but they don't really understand what a blog is or how to run one. (A blog is a "Web Log"; if it isn't updated regularly (ideally daily, like a journal...) and if posts to it are not published and engaged with, why would anybody go there?) There have been TCAL posts to threads here, but they have generally been smoke, without substance, and there have been none recently. 2. PR funding: Yes, it is ironic that we (ratepayers) are paying for them to provide smokescreen cover, rather than confront the issues. It says much about the quality of TCAL management that the preferred option when disagreement is encountered is to simply change the public perception by use of PR. Of course, we are all so stupid that we'll fall for it. Roll on local elections...
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