Tauranga Mainstreet spokesman Tony Young took delight in telling the city council he had told it so regarding the art gallery issue this week.

He reminded the Projects and Monitoring Committee the issues art gallery director Penny Jackson featured in her report to the committee – damage to the building, graffiti, dirt, litter, and safety and security issues – are exactly the same raised by Mainstreet when the Willow St transport centre was first proposed.

Tauranga Art Gallery on Willow Street.

'When the transportation centre was first touted for Willow St over the Durham St option the businesses in the area strongly opposed the transport centre being located on Willow St for the issues now raised in the art gallery report,” says Tony.

Mainstreet opposes the council suggestion to solve the problem by moving the buses further north along Willow Street. While that will clear the art gallery's driveway, it will result in diesel exhaust smoke being blown through the front doorways of the Willow St businesses on the other side of Masonic Park; Bronco Sports World, The Copy Centre, Cartridge World and Kings Dairy.

The art gallery's issue with the driveway was created by the council. Gallery staff used to have four carparks in the Masonic carpark but they were removed when the bus stop was relocated, forcing gallery staff to use a driveway frequently blocked by buses.

'At the time sound reasoning was given why these four carparks outside the gallery should remain and these were upheld by the councillors,” says Tony.

Ben Tuck from Broncos Sports World says the issues outside the gallery are going to follow the bus stops wherever they are moved.

'It's a police problem you have got,” says Ben.

'It's a bit like when the buses were first mooted. We weren't contacted either - even though our names are mentioned in here. No-one's even approached us to see how we feel and what's going to happen in future, which is a little disappointing.”

The buses were moved to Willow St in 2010.

Police Western Bay of Plenty area commander Clifford Paxton told the committee disruptive behaviour outside the gallery can be managed.

'I suspect some of the issues arise from conflict of users. You've got the attendees at the art gallery, people waiting for a bus and pedestrians walking past that area on the street, and through that you have conflicts of uses.

'So for me it would be about going back and having a look at what are the various conflicts and what is it we need to do.

'But often when you have got a conflict of different users who have got different interests or different activities, you will get some friction and some altercation arises from that.

'From my perspective the first thing will be to go back and have a look at those various conflicts and how you minimise that. Once you have done that then you can sort out the safety and security of the individuals using that area at the time.

'What is the cause of it, how the conflict arises and how do you manage that? Once you have done that you can sort it out.”

Police figures provided to the council shows there have been 34 arrests for drugs and anti-social behaviour in Willow Street over the past nine months, and 11 arrests for violence.

There's no indication precisely where along Willow St – which stretches for more than a kilometre – the arrests took place.

Mayor Stuart Crosby sees the bus stop from his office and has at one time called the police concerning behaviour he's seen there. He says the clashes he sees from time to time appear to be between bus users.

A lot of the bus patrons are transport disadvantaged, including the elderly, youths and the disabled.

Stuart thinks the situation can be managed and warned against turning the debate into an art gallery versus bus stop issue.

Deputy mayor David Stewart says there is unacceptable behaviour and activity taking place.

'We shouldn't have to accept nor should anybody else. I wonder why this report has come to us. It seems very clearly to be a management thing.

'If these things are going on we shouldn't have to wait for a report to do something about it. It should be managed by council staff, and if that means working in and coordinating with the police, the schools if it's school kids or whatever organisation – that can't be hard to do.

'It's a matter of dealing with it and managing it. It's not a matter of isolating which activities to do - it's a matter of doing them all. Council staff in charge of transport should be in there managing this and not allowing it to get to the stage that it has got to.”

Committee members decided that staff would manage the issue and report back.