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An Akaroa homeowner is organising a community meeting on the contentious BP Meats site after a ‘misinformed’ consultation process.
The meeting is set to be held at the Trinity Hall Church on October 11 at 2pm. It is being organised by Linda Sunderland, who aims to inform the community on the site’s historical significance, which she said has been overlooked by the city council during the consultation process.
The meeting will exclude Christchurch City Council staff. The city council is currently asking for feedback on five potential options for Akaroa’s BP Meats site.
Residents have until Sunday, October 18, to make a submission. No decision has been made on a preferred option, and the feedback would help Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula Community Board determine the future use of the land at its meeting on December 7.
The BP Meats site is in the northern commercial area of Akaroa on 67 and 67a Rue Lavaud.
It includes the Akaroa Butchery, Deli and Pantry and the mostly vacant land behind it.
The site is also occupied by an op shop, the Akaroa Toy Library, Akaroa Community Arts Council, a lolly shop and a waste management contractor.
It is the last piece of undeveloped flat land in Akaroa.
The city council first started consultation to decide its future use in October 2024.
Three public meetings have been held and have drawn mixed opinions, with some wanting it to be sold and used for commercial purposes, others for car parking or affordable housing, while others want it developed and used for a community hub.
There is agreement, however, that the butchery needs to be retained.
She said the site was where Captain Charles Lavaud lived, the French government’s commissioner and commander during their attempt to colonise Akaroa.
Sunderland is concerned the potential sale of the site to private developers is contradictory with the city council’s policy to protect heritage buildings.
“A lot of this has not been given the significance it deserves,” she said.
“The council’s asking the community to make a decision without having full knowledge.”
City council head of facilities and property Bruce Rendall is aware of residents’ concerns with the process but defended its engagement over the site.
“The level of engagement undertaken to date has been extensive and exceeds what would normally occur for a project of this nature,” he said.
Rendall also said historical considerations have been identified and communicated throughout the project but is not aware of any policy which prevents the city council from selling historically significant sites.
He said there are no listed heritage buildings on the site.
Sunderland is a fifth-generation descendant of the French settlers, which is why the site’s historical significance is so important to her.
The land was bought by the former Banks Peninsula District Council in 2000 and ownership was transferred to the city council following amalgamation in 2006.
Sunderland said it was originally intended to be held until there was a clear community need to utilise the space, potentially an area for civil defence or relocating emergency services as sea level continues to rise.
She is concerned selling the site will remove the opportunity for future community use.
“It’s quite likely it will be needed for essential services in the future. Why the rush to make a decision, why can’t we just keep holding onto it until a clear need becomes obvious,” she said.
Rendall said two of the options for the site include the sale of all or part of the land for private development but no decision has been made.
If the city council did pursue a sale it would place appropriate conditions to allow future development, he said.
“Council is simply seeking community feedback to help determine the most appropriate future use of the site.”
There will be a final round of consultation before city council staff present Te Pātaka o Rākaihautū Banks Peninsula Community Board with five potential options for the site. It was expected to make a decision later this year.