Fight over golf course

BY IMOGEN NEALE

Outraged locals are rallying to fight plans to turn the public Papakura Golf Course into a retirement village and four-hole golf course.

They've been spurred into action by revelations in the Papakura Courier that the landowners have signed an agreement with the
Papakura District Council to lift a longstanding ban on using the land for anything other than a golf course.

Residents’ spokeswoman Hilda Smith says the locals are preparing to "put up a strong fight".

"We’re fighting to keep the promise that was made."

The "promise" refers to an encumbrance to ensure the land would always be a golf course put in place when it was sold by the council to John Pitman in 1993.

The nine-hole course has changed hands twice since then with the encumbrance in place.

But last month acting council chief executive Joy Hames signed a conditional agreement with course owners Score Trustees Limited to lift the encumbrance.

Score Trustees is a subsidiary of Honk Group whose directors are Paul Webb and David Tauber.

Their agreement to lift the encumbrance means the land could be subdivided into a six-hectare retirement village and a 12-hectare themed four-hole golf course.

The move has already got the Auckland Transition Authority’s blessing.

So if it goes ahead, the deal will be inherited by the new Auckland Council when it assumes control on November 1.

For the last six years the public course has been leased and operated by Warren Martin.

A year’s membership costs $395 and Mr Martin says about 20,000 rounds of golf are played on the course every year.

However the January 20 agreement says the golf course is in decline and needs "a significant cash injection" to upgrade its facilities.

The council and the course’s owners see the development of a retirement village as an appropriate way to fund that upgrade, the agreement states.

"To facilitate the transaction the council has agreed that in consideration of the performance by Score Trustees of its obligations under this agreement the council will discharge the encumbrance in respect of that part of the golf course land to be developed as a retirement village."

The agreement gives the owners three years to secure all the required consents, permits and approvals and gives the council until early July to consult the public.

If the encumbrance is lifted and the company gets resource consent for the subdivision, it will pay the council $1.05 million "in consideration for the partial discharge".

But residents and golf club members aren’t buying it and met during the week to draw up battle plans.

Last Wednesday night more than 100 locals, Papakura mayor Calum Penrose, deputy mayor Peter Goldsmith, councillor Peter Jones and Manurewa MP George Hawkins gathered in an Alderton Place garage overlooking the course.

Locals fired questions at the council representatives and asked how the council could even consider lifting the restriction.

"How come $1 million changes everything?" Mrs Smith asked.

Mr Jones, who’s already been quoted in this newspaper as supporting the development, was particularly targeted by irate
locals.

When asked to clarify his stance, Mr Jones replied: "I’m an unbiased person, what you’ve read in the media is untrue."

Mr Hawkins told the meeting he doesn’t believe the council should compound the past council’s mistake in selling the golf course land.

"The council should have a look in its reserve contribution funds and start buying it back."

The golf course is in a 100-year flood zone and residents are worried a retirement village would end up underwater.

One person in the audience brandished photos of floods that have blanketed the low-lying land in the past 30 years.

Another local stated: "I’ve seen kids rowing over the tops of the fences."

The feeling of disbelief and anger was the same at a meeting of golf course members on Monday night.

Nearby resident Rob Henderson was in the audience and says the deal is "definitely a travesty and it can’t happen".

Councillor Brent Catchpole told the audience that the council can’t buy the golf course back without the approval of the Auckland Transition Authority.

One man put his hand up and suggested the council swap the golf course land for the farm it bought on Opaheke Rd last year.

His proposal was met with applause.

Public submissions on lifting the encumbrance close in two weeks.

Submission forms are available at www.papakura.govt.nz and from the council or Sir Edmund Hillary Library.

- © Fairfax NZ News