Remarkables Park looks likely to be the next home for the Frankton Golf Club after the site was favoured by the club chief executive and talks were supported by the park developer.
During the public forum of the full Queenstown Lakes District Council meeting yesterday, club chief executive Michael Shattock said he backed the tabled report by community services general manager Paul Wilson, which recommended Lakes Leisure take on the lease of the course with the Queenstown Airport Corporation and operate the course until about 2020 when the expanding airport was likely to need the land.
Mr Shattock said he wanted to emphasise to councillors the importance of the location of a nine-hole course and said Remarkables Park offered the best opportunity for a "sustainable and viable" course.
Also during the forum, Remarkables Park co-director Alastair Porter told councillors the company was "more than happy" to continue discussions with the club and council regarding a prospective golf course on park land adjoining the southern side of the airport.
Mr Wilson said in his report the club's lease on the nine-hole course in Frankton would expire on June 30 and would not be renewed.
The airport corporation said in March last year it would not require access to its land, used by the club, until about 2020, though it wanted a "more commercial level of return" on the land in the meantime.
A council working group began in October to consult interested parties, including Lakes Leisure, the airport, Remarkables Park, Sport Otago and Golf NZ.
The option agreed in principle was to issue a new lease for the club, which would require the council to enter into a maximum five-year lease agreement and the club to negotiate and enter into a lease with the airport.
Cr Russell Mawhinney, a working party member, said two valuations were similar but not identical. Valuations would be part of the next stage of the arrangement between Lakes Leisure and the club, he said.
Cr Stamers-Smith said the council was being asked to approve the deal without knowing how much the assets were worth, but Cr Lyal Cocks said the matter would come back to the property subcommittee for approval.
Mr Wilson said it was his intention to keep the golf course discussion in open council. Valuations would require the issue to be discussed in the meeting's public-excluded session.
Cr Trevor Tattersfield said he was not comfortable with the council "going into the golf business" and asked if Lakes Leisure was happy with the plan.
"It's easy to buy assets, but the hard part is the people and we don't have the people to manage this thing."
Cr Mawhinney said Lakes Leisure would market the course to encourage use, but Cr Tattersfield asked if it was Lakes Leisure's business to market the sport.
Cr Mawhinney and Mayor Vanessa van Uden both said Lakes Leisure was constitutionally tasked with promoting the widest community participation in recreation.
Cr Lex Perkins moved and Cr Mann seconded the recommendations for the council to approve acquiring the assets of the Queenstown Golf Club needed to continue operation of the course, subject to the property subcommittee's satisfaction, and for Lakes Leisure to enter into a lease with the airport to operate the course until relocation.
A recommendation to include funding in the 2015 long-term plan for the development of a further nine-hole course to be funded by development contributions was passed by all councillors except Cr Tattersfield.
