It seems that the colourful tin fence in Wi Neera Street will be there for a few more years as the company owning the leasehold on the land has another five years before they need to get construction underway.
At a meeting of Waikato District Council Policy & Regulatory Committee held on the 4th February, councillors learnt that council staff had given an extension of time for the construction of four new commercial buildings on the site for a further 5 years.
It has been suggested by some Raglanders that the land should be used as a car park.
Cr Baddeley has advocated a link from Wi Neera Street through the 1 Wi Neera Street property to connect with the footbridge. People could then walk from Volcom and Electric lanes to the planned development and then on to the Raglan Domain (Papahua/ Te Kopua).
The properties are owned by Waikato District Council and are part of the ‘harbour reserve’ that the council inherited from the old Raglan Harbour Board. The lease is held by Raglan North Shore Ltd which is owned by shareholders in Australia, the United States, Wellington and Raglan. The company pays the Waikato District Council an annual ground rent for the properties. The council uses the income to pay for harbour facilities including the wharf and the footbridge. The land is subject to a Treaty of Waitangi claim. It was the location of Te Awaitaia’s marae.
Prior to Raglan North Shore Ltd buying the leasehold, there were homes on the properties. Increases in the ground rents charged by WDC caused a situation where the residents could no longer afford to stay in their homes. Raglan North Shore Ltd purchased the leases and the houses, then removed the houses and later constructed a corrugated iron fence. The fence was painted by French backpacker Andre Na. As the fence will be over 12 years old when permission is renewed again it may well need a repaint. There’s already signs of rust. Suz of Raglan Backpackers says, “We keep asking the guy who painted it to come back and redo it as we expect it will be there for some time.”
So why is Council consulting on Plan Change 14 to expand the CBD, when it’s not worth developing a prime site in the centre and Vinnies/Valentes is empty again? Submissions are due by 29 February to districtplan@waidc.govt.nz on the Plan, which is at – https://www.waikatodistrict.govt.nz/Documents-Library/Files/Documents/District-Plan/Plan-Change-Reports/PC14-Raglan-Rezone-Notified-version.aspx. It’s not even valued as a car park. The Community Board’s survey of parking found that only 7 of the 56 pay $10 a week to park there – page 64 of http://waidc.govt.nz/Documents-Library/Files/Your-Council/Agendas-2015/151110-RCB-Agenda_Part4.aspx.