A new site for aircraft navigation equipment on the Monaco Peninsula has upset residents who says it is an ‘‘industrialisation’’ of the area.
Monaco resident of 40 years and former residents association chairwoman Chrissie Keay said residents knew nothing about the plans to excavate a section on Point Rd to install the equipment, and there had been a ‘‘complete lack of consultation’’.
Nelson Airport and Airways are moving the DVOR/DME – aircraft navigation equipment – from its current site near the terminal to the land the airport owns on Monaco peninsula to provide for the future expansion of the airport. The gear would also be upgraded in the move.
Keay said it wasn’t until two weeks ago residents were made aware of the airport’s plans when the company dropped a flier in letterboxes about a public meeting five days later.
Nelson Airport chief executive Robert Evans said the equipment’s current location was a big constraint on the airport. ‘‘We can’t develop anything within about a three hectare area so that leaves about about seven acres of land on the airport next to the terminal which we’re not able to develop on.’’
‘‘For quite some time it’s been identified that the land that we own on Monaco peninsula is really not much use for anything because of its location to the runway, but it is ideally suited to the location of this aviation equipment.’’
He said the airport needed to prepare for future growth and start on its long term plan. ‘‘Our effort to consult and discuss with residents was in my view a positive step. There’s no requirement for that, but we thought it was an important thing to do. I guess it can be a double-edged sword sometimes but we’re more than happy to have those conversations.’’
(The Nelson Mail, Monday, November 2, 2015)
A controversial 91-lot subdivision proposal for Mapua has been given the green light.
The Tasman District Council has granted six non-notified resource consents with conditions related to the staged development proposed by Mapua Coastal Village Limited for a 10.2-hectare property on Aranui Rd.
Concerns were raised in April about the water supply for the proposed development. In its decision, the TDC says the first 25 lots of the development shall be connected to the council’s Mapua water supply.
The private scheme will source water from the Rabbit Island and Tahunanui sand aquifer in the Moutere surface water zone via two eight-metre deep bores to be constructed.
‘‘This water take is temporary and the scheme will be in place until such a time as reticulated services with additional capacity are available in Mapua,’’ the council says in its decision.
Consent has been granted to take groundwater at a maximum rate of 3.2 cubic metres an hour or 75 cubic metres a day.
It replaces a previous consent, which expired on May 31, 2013 and allowed a water take of up to 89 cubic metres a day, the council says.
Bill Glazebrook, of Mapua Coastal Village Limited, said he was pleased with the outcome, adding that the council had been very thorough throughout the process.
(The Nelson Mail, Tuesday, November 3,2015)
Three luxury townhouses are set to be built in central Nelson to cater to growing demand for inner-city homes.
The houses are to be built at a site on Collingwood Street near the corner of Halifax Street. A resource consent application has been lodged and building is expected to begin in March next year.
Two of the homes will be two storey, two bedroom townhouses while the third will be three storey with four bedrooms. They will have vehicle access off Malthouse Lane.
Two of the townhouses will have roof-top terraces and the third will have a terrace and courtyard. The houses will be priced from $825,000.
The Nelson City Council’s development contributions waiver, which helped save $30,000 for the project, was crucial for its feasibility, said Ambrose.
Nelson Mayor Rachael Reese said the contributions waiver was helping to encourage more people to live in the CBD.
(The Nelson Mail, Tuesday, November 3, 2015)
A lack of listings and low interest rates are continuing to put pressure on the Nelson housing market, latest QV statistics show.
The median house price for Nelson grew 2.5 per cent over the past three months. The median for the month was $425,169. QV Nelson registered valuer Craig Russell said houses were being snapped up as demand continued to outstrip supply. Some homes were going for more than $40,000 above their GV. Listings were well down in October with 271 fewer homes listed compared to November 2014.
He said there was also an increase in properties being sold at auction and strong numbers at open homes. More buyers were looking because of lower interest rates, he said. Property values in the Tasman District also rose by 1.8 per cent over the past three months. October’s median price in Tasman was $430,573. The QV statistics showed activity was particularly strong within the $250,000 to $400,000 price bracket.
(The Nelson Mail, Wednesday, November 4, 2015)
A long-running standoff over rates charged at Port Tarakohe in Golden Bay looks set to drag on into next year.
A group of mussel farmers last year complained to the Commerce Commission about the prices they were charged by the Tasman District Council for using the port.
In a letter to the commission, their lawyer Quentin Davies outlines a request by the farmers for an investigation into whether the port should be regulated.
‘‘The new rates are four times the previous rates, and double those recommended in [a] report commissioned by the council,’’ Davies says.
Rates charged for mussels by line per metre were $1.05 to June 2013, rising to $4.16 in 2014 and then set to go up each year to $4.80 in July 2017. For shellfish, including mussels per tonne, it was $10 to June 2013, rising to $15.60 in 2014 and then set to reach $17.56 in July 2017.
‘We have a number of concerns regarding the approach taken in revising the charges but we are particularly concerned with the valuation methodology,’’ Davies says.
Although the wharf was purchased in 1995 for $475,000 (including buildings and land later sold for $200,000), the council revalued the total port area at $12,301,140. The concrete wharf, the main part used by the marine farmers, has been revalued at $4,630,717, he says.
‘‘While only a subset of the entire port, at this valuation it is approximately 10 times the original purchase price of the whole.’’
About $3.1 million was spent over five years on the port including the construction of 61 new marina berths and an enhancement of the recreational side of the port along the western arm.
Davies says it appears the wharf has been valued at the cost of replacement without taking into account that a smaller and cheaper asset could be built.
Port Tarakohe is the only large commercial port in Golden Bay, described by the council as a ‘‘natural monopoly’’. ‘‘The council has quadrupled the rates because of its monopoly power,’’ Davies says.
In a report, TDC corporate services manager Mike Drummond says legal advice confirms the council used its powers to set the fees correctly.
(The Nelson Mail, Wednesday, November 4, 2015)
Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve Board’s dominating new commercial two-storey building has forever changed what was an iconic and much-loved beachfront, say critics.
Tourism operators are also concerned the narrowed beach front road will also cause major traffic issues at the popular holiday destination this summer.
The beach front road in front of the Shoreline Cafe and new beachfront store and motels has been narrowed to 5.5m by designers to slow traffic. The re-designed road and two-storey store and motel complex are the first two stages of a $5m redevelopment of Kaiteriteri’s beachfront and commercial hub by the Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve Board. The store and road will be completed by summer.
The building, at the entrance to the Kaiteriteri Holiday Park, will be separated from the existing nearby Shoreline Cafe by a grass and paved courtyard. The courtyard will be ringed by concessionaire booths, which will shift from their existing site near the boat wash and carpark.
Darryl Wilson, of Wilson’s Abel Tasman, predicted the road would create a bottleneck, particularly when used by larger vehicles.
The upgrade is being funded by the board. The consent application for the building was lodged in 2013.
The board’s deputy chairman Tim King said the process included consultation with the local community and campers. The revamp was a thoughtful upgrade of the organic and sometimes ad hoc development of the beachfront over the years, he said. The development considered commercial and recreation needs.
Stage 3 and 4 included moving the boat wash to the rear of the carpark, removing half the shorefront parallel parking, narrowing the entrance to Inlet Rd and returning much of the sealed area at the boat wash and Inlet Rd entrance to grass and plantings.
Once work was completed drivers entering Kaiteriteri would be steered towards the carpark, where they could park and proceed on foot, rather than driving along the beachfront road, he said.
Work on the revamp of the boatwash and carpark would start around 2017.
(The Nelson Mail, Thursday, November 5, 2015)
After a short ceremony under grey skies the recently opened Quest apartments in Nelson were officially unveiled by Nelson Mayor Rachel Reese.
The $5 million development on Collingwood St opened for business in June. Its launch was marked with a ceremony and the presentation of a plaque from Reese to Quest New Zealand chief executive Stephen Mansfield and Nelson franchise director Adrian Cotoros on Wednesday.
‘‘Quest is one of the most significant additions to Nelson’s accommodation sector in the past 25-30 years,’’ said Reese.
She said having the five-storey serviced-apartment accommodation in the central city area was a boost for local businesses who would reap the benefits from the additional visitors who were staying in the apartments nearby. Nelson Tasman Tourism chief executive Lynda Keene said the opening of the apartments has drawn ‘‘significant interest’’ from tour wholesalers in New Zealand and overseas.
(The Nelson Mail, Thursday, November 5, 2015)
An agreement giving exclusive use of part of a reserve at Port Tarakohe to motor caravan association members has come under fire.
Motor caravan association area chairman Allan James said some of what had been written on social media was incorrect and ‘‘emotional’’.
The area had been used for camping by association members – and others – for 10 to 12 years, he said. Some people had not used self-contained vehicles and had left their waste in the area. Some camping had spilled over into the Pohara Boat Club area, which ‘‘didn’t have a lease for that’’, James said. About a year ago, the council said the camping would have to be shut down.
In response to the concerns raised on the Takaka Noticeboard Facebook page, the council posted that it was a short-term arrangement for this summer only.
‘‘Small works will be carried out to tidy the area in preparation for this use, in particular the entrance. No consents are needed and members of the NZ Motor Caravan Association are contributing volunteer labour,’’ the council says in its post. ‘‘There will be no long-term commitment to any arrangement until the strategy for Port Tarakohe has been adopted by council after consultation with [the] community.’’
However, some people fear it is already a fait accompli in light of the association’s plans for the fence and gate, along with a statement in its November newsletter that says: ‘‘Initially, the park will be operated [by] Nelson/Tasman until resource consent and camping ground approval are granted in 2016 when the site will possibly join the NZMCA park list, operated [by] national office.’’
James said the council would supply the material to fence the area while the association provided the labour and machinery. That work would start at the weekend. Once it was complete, the area would be available for self-contained vehicles only for a maximum of three days. No overnight camping would be permitted and the association would monitor the area as part of the agreement, James said.
(The Nelson Mail, Friday, November 6, 2015)
The largest environmentally-friendly wastewater system of its kind is being installed at a holiday park in Richmond.
At more than 500 square metres, the Advanced Enviro-septic system installation at Greenwood Park is the largest to date, designed to treat an average on 19,000 litres of wastewater per day.
Greenwood Park owner Chris White said after purchasing the property in April it had undergone an extensive upgrade which included redoing the hot and cold water infrastructure and the sewage system.
The holiday park is outside the Richmond catchment area for having sewage removed so it is required to be dealt with onsite. The system was automated, environmentally-friendly and required less maintenance than other systems.
The treatment process uses no power and can be designed to fit into small areas where there is limited space. It was being installed by Tuffnell Plumbing and Drainage and was expected to take a team of four two weeks to complete.
(The Nelson Mail, Saturday November 7, 2015)
When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice.
Saul Bellow