The announcement that Frankton's new primary school will be on the lakeside reserve site is a ‘‘victory for procrastination'', a former councillor has told the Otago Daily Times.
While parents and teachers at the Frankton Playcentre thought the Ministry of Education's decision was ‘‘brilliant'', and were ready to deal with a temporary move while the school was being constructed, several property owners on the site's boundary felt they had been ‘‘kept in the dark''.
Former Queenstown Lakes district councillor Hudson Turnbull was ‘‘flabbergasted'' by the plan and said the ministry made the decision to build on Lake Ave because it failed to plan for growth in the 1990s.
As a result, the public would lose a valuable reserve and the school would be inadequate for future growth, he said.
Several Frankton residents also had concerns, including the small size of the site, the safety of children crossing State Highway 6 to get to school, the wisdom of having a school and playing fields next to an unfenced lake, the flight path overhead, and the effect on their land value.
Neighbouring landowner Noel Fitzgerald said he bought the church site bordering the reserve four and a-half years ago and was set to auction it this month.
He was ‘‘tipped off'' the ministry was again thinking of building the school and cancelled the auction.
Other neighbours believe their property values will be affected. The ministry approached Boyes Cr home owner Kath Evans over a year ago to buy her property to make way for the preschool.
She said she was unsure if the ministry still wanted to buy her home. She described the last five years as an ‘‘emotional see-saw'' and said she was ‘‘amazed at the lack of consideration'' shown to affected home owners.
Neighbour Annie Weston said she has a 3 1 /2-year-old child and a school next door would be handy.
But she was worried by the roading into the area and believed the Joe O'Connell Pl site next to the Events Centre - rejected after Transit raised concerns about its proximity to SH6 - would be better.
‘‘I don't see the logic,'' Ms Weston said. ‘‘If it was by the Events Centre they would have access to the pool and the facilities there.''
Ministry senior media adviser Ian Butler said it had no intention of contacting Boyes Cr property owners again.
The traffic on SH6 was a concern and safe crossings would be part of the ministry's plan, he added.
Queenstown and Lakes district councillor Cath Gilmour understood concerns about losing the reserve, but said the creation of playing fields could mean more people would use the area.
‘‘As a lover of open spaces, I empathise,'' Cr Gilmour said. ‘‘But the decision to build the school there is the best one.''
She said all the sites had drawbacks but the reserve site had the most advantages.
Mr Butler said the school would take up to 450 pupils and more primary and secondary schools were possible.
