Cabin tenants make plea to council

Lakeview resident Gladys Manuel makes a point  at  a public hearing on Queenstown's proposed...
Lakeview resident Gladys Manuel makes a point at a public hearing on Queenstown's proposed convention centre yesterday. Photo by Mountain Scene.
People worried an affordable housing precinct in Queenstown will be lost implored the Queenstown Lakes District Council yesterday not to allow a proposed $50 million convention centre to be built on the Lakeview land where more than 100 people live in low-rent cabins.

Next Tuesday, the Queenstown Lakes District Council will decide the proposed convention centre's fate. A total of 748 submissions were received on the proposal and 31 people spoke to their submissions at a hearing yesterday.

The council has announced the Lakeview land is the preferred site for the centre. However, Gladys Manuel, one of many submitters opposing the use of Lakeview for the centre, said she lived there and many families living in the cabins were struggling.

Most worked in the tourism industry, she said, and their salaries would not be high enough to allow them to move out of Queenstown into places like Arrowtown.

Another Lakeview resident, Peti Seiuli, asked councillors to put ''people before profits''.

Just one month before the local government election, the existing council will make the important decision.

Some opponents say the centre would become a white elephant while others claim the resort is in desperate need of such a centre, as it is missing out on large conferences.

Glenorchy resident Trish Fraser said she was not opposed to a convention centre but the proposal ''is certainly an election issue'' and such a centre should not be funded by ratepayers. That sentiment was echoed by many others.

She was also one of many who criticised the council's consultation process, saying it was inadequate; others said it was misleading.

Wanaka resident Denis Pezaro said the district's residents and ratepayers had paid for Queenstown's amenities and ''it is time for the visitors to make their contribution''. However, he urged the council to continue planning the centre.

The council has previously identified SkyCity Entertainment Group as the preferred operator.

As expected, references to the convention centre yesterday were greeted by positive comments from representatives of groups such as Destination Queenstown, the Queenstown Airport Corporation and the Tourism Industry Association.

The council has identified three possible sites, all council-owned, but chief executive Adam Feeley has previously said advice he had received had been to disregard the Stanley St and Gorge Rd sites in favour of the Lakeview site.

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement