Park Avenue site supporters say “We haven’t had a fair deal” and drop land price by $200,000
“We think the information in the ‘pros and cons’ table provided by the IMG in the last two GB Weeklys regarding the Park Avenue option for the integrated health facility is incomplete and, in some places, inaccurate,” says Rose Windle.
Rose and her husband Philip are 50 per cent shareholders in the land adjacent to Park Avenue and have registered an interest in having the facility sited there. They are wary of what they call “the cynics’ view” of their motivation.
“We’re partly selfish,” said Rose. “But not about material gain. We’re interested in getting a health facility that will allow us to have a better old age than the oldies in our families did. We’ve got plenty to gain in terms of the quality of life we can lead in the retirement village we’re dreaming of, but you can be damn sure that a whole lot of other people have too.”
Rose said that she and Philip wanted to correct some of the information put out by the Interim Management Group (IMG) of the integrated health project.
“We haven’t had a fair deal with putting our point of view to the IMG,” she said. “The ‘pros and cons’ table in The GB Weekly said that the Park Avenue option would be more expensive because waste water and storm water were ‘all needed’. Well, those provisions will be part of a subdivision, so they’d be the developers’ responsibilities, not a cost to the integrated health project. It’s the same with the comment about the possible road alterations or new roads. They’re not a concern for the health project; they’ll be something for the developers or the council to deal with.”
Rose and Philip had hoped to be given permission to have their own display at the Open Days to be held this week. Permission was not granted. Rose attended the Takaka Open Day and told the representatives of the IMG that the asking price of the land at Park Avenue had been dropped from $600,000 to $400,000.
“We also explained that all services would be provided to the boundary,” said Rose. “But the IMG should have known that because it was on our registration of interest that we lodged in September 2008.
“We’ve also offered to give a 1200 square metre site next to the proposed integrated health facility to St John Golden Bay for their headquarters.”
The Windles have concept sketches of parts of their proposed development and a detailed map showing more aspects of what they say could be a 50-year development, including staged subdivisions of sections, the provision of sport and recreation facilities, and the development of a walkway and cycleway to Takaka. They particularly like the idea of turning an area between Park Avenue and the southern end of Takaka into a large park.
“Another thing we’re excited about is what the TDC planners are calling LID—low-impact design,” said Rose. “What would normally be drains will be made into waterways with planting. The pavements will be less harsh, with grass edges and so on.”
The Park Avenue development, including the retirement village, is something that Rose is passionate about.
“Health has been my career,” she said. “And looking after elderly family members here hasn’t always been very satisfactory. The biggest key is independence. Having the retirement village close to the integrated health facility would be a big advantage.”
Philip said that the perceived zoning disadvantage was wrong, too.
“The land—mostly C-class soils—is Rural 1 now, as the ‘pros and cons’ table stated,” said Philip. “But on 11 December, TDC is to consider as an in-committee item the proposal for the South Takaka Stucture Plan and receive staff advice on the planning process. If they decide to rezone the land to residential, the first stage of the subdivision, maybe 30 sections or so, could happen quite soon.”
Philip said that development costs had escalated in the time that the project had been gestating, but the value of the land was not in question.
“Three years ago it cost about $35,000 to 40,000 to develop a section, but today it’s about $90,000,” he said. “We had the land independently valued so that no one could accuse us of being greedy about what we asked for it. We’ve said twice that the price is negotiable, but nobody’s been to see us to ask what we’d sell it for.”
The Windles say that their vision of a retirement village with a nearby health facility, residential area, commercial area and recreation facilities is still attainable.
“People seem to have lost sight of the idea of a retirement village surrounded by new housing, community spaces, the health facility and some businesses,” said Rose. “This whole thing seems simple but we can’t get it out there to the community.”
The Park Avenue option for the integrated health facility is part of a bigger story. Steve Markham, TDC policy manager, explained that an active planning process is underway because the council is keen to see a residential development opportunity and future town site at Park Avenue.
“The owners have got proposals for development and they’re naturally very keen to have their site considered for the integrated health facility.”
Mr Markham said that the council had been investigating with the community the planning approach to take and had decided to “give priority to a node of residential development in South Takaka as an additional area to Takaka township.”
Neil Wilson
