Yachting NZ makes last minute withdrawal from High Performance site

by Richard Gladwell, Sail-World.com NZL on 19 Jul 2016 After battling local authorities and a hostile pressure group for six years, Yachting New Zealand pulled back from an Auckland Council deal that would have given it a lease on 700sq metres of land in the Takapuna Beach Reserve, for 10 years at a rental of just $1 per year.

The surprise move came just 40 minutes before the start of a Devonport - Takapuna Local Board meeting which was expected to wave through the deal, which would have given Olympic and other High-Performance sailors a secure space at the northern end of Takapuna Beach, where they have trained for several decades.

At a previous Hearing to determine the future use of the Reserve, which has been used in varying proportions as a Camping Ground and green space, Yachting New Zealand got a planning compromise which gave it use of 10% of the Reserve, which space was subsequently allocated along the western boundary.

Then in a second deal negotiated by the Council and YNZ with the local Waka Ama club which had also used the western edge of the reserve for storage, the two entities were accommodated in a single piece of land of 1050sq metres, of which Yachting NZ would have 700sq metres and Waka Ama 350 sq metres.

The Takapuna Boating Club's boatshed which stood on the same boundary would remain, having been recently signed up on a 30-year lease.

The land allocated to Yachting New Zealand would have housed 30 yachts and ten coaching and safety craft.

The Board was expected to vote along its existing split lines, with the Chairman expected to use his casting vote to push the deal through ahead of local body elections later this year, meaning the incoming Board, whatever its views on the use of the reserve would be locked into the deal.

The very late withdrawal, after 5.00pm for a 6.00pm meeting, by Yachting New Zealand caught both Board members and opponents by surprise and foreshortened what was expected to a long meeting going over old ground and arguments.

No-one from Yachting New Zealand or the Waka Ama club was present at the Public Forum section of the meeting, however the opponents of the plan were given the opportunity to speak if they wished making very deflated comments, and with most having their full speech text handed in to be incorporated in the Minutes of the meeting.

Yachting New Zealand is believed not to have backed away from having a facility at Takapuna, and that being the case, a fourth proposal will have to be negotiated and passed by a new Board, which may have a different voting balance from the current one.

A large children's play area was recently constructed on another reserve alongside the Takapuna Boating Club with minimal comment from the strident group so opposed to the use of largely unused land for the hard stand.

Recommendation/s

That the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board:

a)      receive the application from Yachting New Zealand for the construction of the hardstand, and subsequent occupation of their portion of the hardstand.

b)      ensure that any decision has specific regard to the importance of maintaining and enhancing the unstructured recreation space between The Promenade, the campground and the coastal walkway.

c)      decide whether to provide:

i.        landowner approval in principle for the hardstand with landowner conditions to be confirmed and reported to the local board for approval once the final configuration of all uses on the site are determined.

ii.       consent to enter into a conditional agreement to lease for 1050m² of Takapuna Beach Reserve to Yachting New Zealand for a period of two years commencing 1 September 2016 to enable the construction of a hardstand for use by YNZ and North Shore Waka Ama Incorporated, subject to:

a)      Yachting New Zealand, Auckland Council and the preferred campground operator to meet specified conditions;

b)      Yachting New Zealand to secure any necessary consents and funding required to construct a new hardstand area; and

c)      Yachting New Zealand to construct the hardstand once the matters referred to in clause d i) and ii) above have been satisfied.

d)      consent to grant a community lease to Yachting New Zealand for 700m² being Part Lots 4, 5 and 6 DP 18501 on Takapuna Beach Reserve upon practical completion of the hardstand, noting the following proposed lease terms:

i.        Term – 10 years from the date of practical completion with one 10 year right of renewal;

ii.       Rent – $1.00 per annum, if requested;

iii.      Provision of a community outcomes plan as approved being attached to the lease agreement; and

iv.      All other terms and conditions in accordance with Auckland Council Community Occupancy Guidelines 2012, The Takapuna Beach Reserve Management Plan (2013) and the Reserves Act 1977.

e)      approve the specified conditions for the agreement to lease as follows:

i.        upon a decision being made by the local board in respect to any future location of an upgraded campground activity;

ii.       upon an expressions of interest process being completed identifying a preferred operator for the proposed campground activity;

iii.      upon the preferred operator of the proposed campground securing any necessary consents to occupy, develop and manage an upgraded campground site;

iv.      compliance with the provisions of the Reserves Act 1977, the Takapuna Beach Reserve Management Plan and Auckland Council Community Occupancy Guidelines July 2012; and

v.       development of an agreed traffic management plan for the integration of the activities carried out by the various lease and licence holders on the Reserve, as any encroachment into the open space to resolve traffic issues will require a commensurate increase in the area held for public open space and may require the adjustment of the location and scale of the hardstand.