Queenstown Lakes District councillors have unanimously agreed to sell the former pool site next to Mount Aspiring College (MAC) to the Ministry of Education.

Former MAC principal Wayne Bosley expressed interest in acquiring the pool site as far back as 2017 and the decision by councillors at yesterday’s (Thursday April 28) full council meeting allows the council to move forward with transferring ownership of the site.

Councillor Quentin Smith said he was “really pleased to see this [topic] finally at the table” at the meeting, many years after the idea was first floated and months after the Wānaka Community Board (WCB) endorsed the sale of the 6,441m2 site.

Quentin said the WCB and the community had been clear that they believed “the best use of the site is for the use of the rapidly growing high school”.

“This land will enable it to have continuity of its building programme.”

Council staff confirmed the Ministry of Education would be required to pay the fair market value for the substantial Plantation Road site. 

Proceeds from the sale will go into the coffers of the Wānaka Reserve Asset Fund (WRAF) which was established in 2016 with $15.6M, raised by the sale of Scurr Heights land by Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC).

The WRAF was to be used to fund capital expenditure which benefits the residents of the Wānaka ward.

It has around $4M left after funds were used to support Wānaka’s new swimming pool and the Luggate Hall replacement, and after $8M was put aside for the purchase of Mount Iron as a reserve.

Wānaka’s former community swimming pool, which was deemed to be earthquake prone and had undergone strengthening, was closed on June 9, 2018.

MAC principal Nicola Jacobsen has said the site would be “ideal” in the next stage of school’s redevelopment, which includes more gym space.

PHOTO: Wānaka App