Alexander Road Reserve - Change of Reserve Classification

Alexander Road Reserve, being Part Lot 144 DP 36908, is a Council owned and managed reserve located on Alexander Road and Spencer Road at Lake Tarawera. In 1994 Council gave approval for a building to be located on part of the reserve for the Rotorua Playcentre Association to run a Playcentre service for the Lake Tarawera community. To enable this to happen, the part of the reserve occupied by the building was classified as Local Purpose (Playcentre) Reserve under the Reserves Act 1977.

In November 2017, the Tarawera Playcentre ceased operating due low attendance numbers and the building was gifted to the Lake Tarawera Community Group Inc. The lease for the reserve has subsequently being assigned to the Lake Tarawera Community Group on the proviso that the building cannot be used for anything other than a Playcentre until such time as the reserve classification is changed.

The Lake Tarawera Community Group Inc would like to operate the building as a community centre. Some of the community activities that the Tarawera Community Group Inc are proposing the building will be used for include:

• Yoga and Thai Chi
• Children's activities e.g. mainly music
• For use by community groups e.g. sailing club, civil defence, men's shed
• Mobile library service
• Community meetings

To enable the building to be used for these types of activities, the classification of the reserve needs to be changed under the Reserves Act 1977. Council is therefore proposing to change the classification of the reserve from Local Purpose (Playcentre) Reserve to Local Purpose (Community) Reserve.

The Reserves Act 1977 is the main piece of legislation that governs the administration of public reserves. Under the Reserves Act Council is a reserve administering body and is responsible for managing the reserves under its control. This includes ensuring the classification of each reserve is consistent with the purpose of that reserve.

Under Section 24 of the Reserves Act, Council is required to publicly notify the proposed change of reserve classification and allow persons claiming to be affected by the proposal an opportunity to make submissions in writing. Council is then required to consider all submissions as soon as practicable. If, having considered the submissions, Council choose to proceed with the proposal, the change of classification will be notified in the NZ Gazette.