Golf course to stay

The "encumbrance" on the Papakura Golf Course is here to stay.

Papakura district councillors voted on Monday not to lift a restriction placed on the course's title when a previous council sold it 17 years ago.

Late last year the owner, Score Trustee Ltd, asked the council to partially lift the encumbrance so it could build a retirement village and four-hole golf course on the 18-hectare site. But locals fought the move, holding meetings and calling on the council to honour its promise to keep the restriction.

At Monday's council meeting most councillors got up to speak about the consultation process and commended the community on its input.

"Consultation has allowed the council to see how highly the community values the golf course," councillor Caroline Conroy said.

"I hope the owners heard the high value people place on it."

The council received 480 submissions on lifting the encumbrance – one agreed with the proposal and 479 opposed it.

Attached to one submission was a petition with 1227 signatures. It read: "We, the undersigned, wish the Papakura Golf Course to remain as a nine-hole golf course available for public use".

The council set aside six hours last week to hear submissions. Recurrent themes included asking the council to honour the encumbrance, encouraging the council to buy back the land, the limitations of a four-hole golf course, and how highly the community values the present course.

Manurewa East's Walter Booth told the council that when next he goes to the course "I don't want to go there to die, I want to go there to play golf".

Other fans of the course talked about the club's multicultural and alcohol-free atmosphere.

"I've never seen an altercation there in the 15 years I've been playing there," William Howe told the council.

Manukau City Council Manurewa ward councillor Daniel Newman crossed the district divide to talk to his four-page submission.

He said the Papakura council had failed to engage its residents or protect their interests by signing an agreement with the owners.

At Monday's council meeting councillor Felicity Auv'va said that while the encumbrance remained the issue was not going to lie.

One day a decision would have to be made about how the golf course could be financially viable for its owners and serve the public good. "Come November 1 there may be further discussion. The supercity is going to have an awful job on its books."

- © Fairfax NZ News