Tauranga City Council is again searching for a developer to create a new city hotel complex on an inner city site opposite Baycourt.
Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby says council is making a public call for further expressions of interest after two developers approached the council when news came out the previous candidate had pulled out of the contract as it was unable to secure the funds.
Tauranga City Council is again looking for a developer to establish a new hotel on Durham Street.
'We have already had two groups approach us; this is for the rest of the market, seeking out expressions of interest from anyone else,” says Mayor Stuart Crosby.
The intention is to build a minimum four-star hotel and conference development on a vacant central city property at 21-41 Durham Street.
The building is known as the TV3 carpark and was originally built in the late 1980s to house TV3's regional programmes, but was never completed past the ground floor parking.
TV3 won the warrant to be the country's first privately owned channel in 1987 and initially aimed to provide a regional-based television service, with linked studios based in Auckland, Wellington, Tauranga and the South Island.
There were numerous delays as litigation surrounded the granting of the warrant, combine with the share market crash in October 1987, wiped out a large proportion of TV3's capital.
In late 1987 then broadcasting minister Richard Prebble further undermined the value of TV3's warrant by announcing the auctioning off of much of the UHF spectrum in New Zealand to allow for an increased number of television channels.
The problems resulted in the regional plans being shelved, and the new network was based in Auckland.
In 2008 the Tauranga City Council planned to build a five-level car parking building on the TV3 site in conjunction with a new Novotel hotel.
Hamilton-based Tainui, pulled the pin on the $38million hotel project, saying it was not proceeding with plans to build a 146-room hotel and 14 luxury apartments in Durham Street because of the decline in the economy.
In 2009 the site was returned to the city council's future parking building holding pattern.
Today's announcement from the council includes a direction that staff consider registrations of interest only from those who can clearly demonstrate they have the ability to raise funds, have balance sheet strength and who possess the necessary development experience and capability.
It is anticipated that the appointment of a single entity to enter the due diligence phase will be decided in November by the Council.
3 comments
I didn't realise it was April 1st
Posted on 27-09-2012 08:33 | By Phailed
I can't believe the ongoing story of this supposed hotel project. In my opinion an indictment on the lack of ability of council to achieve virtually anything. Is anyone held accountable over this project?
And I thought
Posted on 27-09-2012 12:49 | By Butch
Sundays extravaganza was a joke enough, good to see families out and a bout though, but what has been done to the waterfront, a concrete path, a little grass seed, and a "hairy McClary" thing dont really rate the pounding on backs the Council gave themselves, so good luck on finding a developer, that will pay all your stupid charges, the only way you will get something this size built here, is by doing another behind closed doors, shonky deal (ie) Bay Park, and others, its time you realised that you could not organise a P*** up in a brewery, and are so out of touch with your constituents, it is a joke!!!!
How much will TCC Ratepayers be poking at this stick
Posted on 02-10-2012 21:43 | By Investigator
Well tell us all what the bloody perks and incentives are and some of us might show some interest in bargaining with the turkeys.Or is it as i suspect usual secret squirrel stuff with public excluded ?
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