The Devonport-Takapuna Local Board has reached a significant milestone towards ensuring an improved beach holiday park remains on the Takapuna Beach Reserve.
In May, the local board consulted with the community over its proposal to offer a 20 + 10 year lease model on the footprint currently occupied by the Takapuna Beach Holiday Park. This model will enable a future operator to apply for a further 10 year lease renewal after the first 20 if they wish.
The consultation received 1244 submissions, of which almost 78.6 percent were in favour of the proposed lease and retention of an upgraded holiday park.
Due to the significant public interest in the holiday park and its future on the reserve, the local board chose to appoint an independent commissioner to oversee the public consultation and hearings process, as required by the Reserves Act 1977, and to make recommendations to the local board.
In September, the commissioner presented his report to the local board. They considered his report, along with its recommendations, before approving the lease.
Panuku Development Auckland will manage the next step, which is to conduct an ‘expressions of interest’ process to attract and select an operator for the holiday park.
Local Board Chair Grant Gillon says, “We’re keen to ensure the process attracts operators who share a similar vision to that of the board for what an improved holiday park on this iconic site could offer,” says Gillon.
“We aim to attract an operator who wants to invest in delivering a high-quality beach holiday park experience that is affordable and enjoyable for another generation of kiwis and international visitors,” he says.