29 April 2021
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Emergency housing
Enquiry
Further to enquiries yesterday and the previous day, reporter requested that council further clarify two points:
Did this issue come to light as a result of the legal paper or were you aware from the beginning?
So to further clarify, WHEN did you realise it was an issue with the district plan?
Response
From Rotorua Lakes Council Chief Executive, Geoff Williams:
As the use of motels for emergency housing has increased, so has the potential for breaches of the District Plan and this is something we have been discussing with Central Government as an emerging issues since late last year.
This is a challenging situation as we try to balance our community leadership role to be part of developing long-term solutions with our regulatory role.
Our current work alongside Central Government officials which began last month [March] as directed by Housing Minister Megan Woods, will help to manage the short-term situation and provide medium and long-term solutions.
Clarification:
The issue was not brought to light by Mr Badcock's paper.
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Damage to Sala St reserve caused by cars
Enquiry
We had a call from a man about some land on Sala Street being ripped up by vehicles (reporter sent images).
I was just wondering, firstly, if this is council land? It's opposite the Rotorua Cemetery - According to Google maps, it's about 117-1145 Sala Street.
If so, can you tell me:
- Is this an issue that has previously been reported to the council?
- Some of the tracks looked fresh and some looked like they had been there a while, is this a common issue for council in the area?
- If it is an issue, are there any plans in place to prevent vehicles from entering the area? What are they?
- Are there future plans for this land or is it to remain as is?
Is this sort of behaviour by drivers an issue in any other parts of Rotorua?
Response
The following information and comments were provided:
From Council spokesperson:
It's always disappointing when people choose to do the wrong thing and choose to damage public spaces that are there for the whole community to enjoy.
This type of damage occurs occasionally in places where we have reserves with unrestricted access. The Sala Street reserve is an open, natural space that is well used by many locals for various activities. Restricting these open areas using fencing or bollards would not only impact their natural state and access to the public, but would come at a significant cost to install and maintain, and then manage the grass around all these structures.
Fortunately the damage has been restricted to the grass areas which should be repaired reasonably quickly.
What to do if you see vehicles damaging a reserve:
- Do not approach the vehicle
- Take notes of the vehicle registration, make and colour
- If you can do so safely, get pictures of the vehicle
- Phone the Police straight away
- Report the damage and car details to Council on 07 348 4199
Information:
- There is no record of this damage being reported to council.
- There is no plans to develop the area.