The Annual Plan hearings have highlighted community support for a local gymsports club, protecting the environment, and making active transport links a priority in Wānaka.

Councillors spent yesterday afternoon (Wednesday May 25) listening to a wide range of local issues at a hearing of submissions on the Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) 2022-23 Annual Plan.

The Annual Plan process provides an opportunity for the council and community to reassess the Ten Year Plan and adjust its spending based on the most pressing projects for the year ahead.

More than 130 submissions were received on the Annual Plan, 52 percent of which were from the Upper Clutha.

They covered a variety of topics including sustainability and protecting the environment, secondary health funding, sport and recreation, urban development and active transport.

Council’s delay in making decisions about a new youth, sports and community centre at the former Mitre 10 building was the focus of about ten submissions. PHOTO: Supplied

Submitters also responded to six issues raised by the council, including the proposed budget for the Climate and Biodiversity Plan; a proposed increase in resource and building consent fees, sport and recreation facility fees, and waste services fees; a proposed three-tier structure for film permits; and a proposed adjustment to rating differentials.

The plan proposes an average rates increase of 5.96 percent.

At least ten of the Upper Clutha submissions supported the Aspiring Gymsports Club’s (AGC) submission, which outlined the club’s frustration with council’s progress on developing the former Mitre 10 building on Reece Crescent as a youth, sports and community centre.

While the council signed a lease to occupy the building in late April, that’s just the first step in a lengthy process to transform a commercial barn into a sports, youth and community centre. The proposed $4.15M budget to fitout the facility is yet to be approved via the Annual Plan process.

Read more: Process begins to transform barn into community centre

The club is now using three different sites to hold programmes for their more than 660 members. AGC chair Prue Beams told councillors its current rental has been extended to December 2022, giving the club a little breathing space. 

But the club will have to pay extra rent and asked the council to contribute $30,000 to that cost.

“For more than a year AGC has been planning for growth – to meet the needs of our district’s growing youth and to get ready for our move,” the club’s submission said. Using community grants and fundraising it has invested $49,000 in new equipment, set up new programmes and  hired new coaches.

“However, our peak community support body, QLDC, cannot keep up with this demand, or pace of change, and is acting like a tired old dinosaur responding to a yapping Fox Terrier puppy, who’s over asking ‘are we there yet?’,” the submission said. 

Councillors will now reconsider the submissions before the final Annual Plan is adopted by the end of June.