Intention to issue a lease - McEwan Park

Empire Table Tennis Club - McEwan Park

Background

The Empire Table Tennis Club has been located and successfully operating from McEwan Park for some 40 years. With increasing membership and interest in the sport itself, demand for its facilities and with the building displaying signs of age and deterioration, the club set out to undertake a major redevelopment of its building and facilities. The works in general, included an expansion of the building by increasing the floor space (and consequently occupation of park) from 661m2 to 1,594m2.

As part of the process the club in 2004 applied for and were granted an extension of lease area by the Petone Community Board (total lease area outlined in red to the right).

The club completed the $500,000+ building redevelopment in 2007 thanks to considerable fundraising efforts from its members; sponsorship and grants, and a $60,000 grant from the Council.


View looking east - toward new extension	View from road front	View looking west. Showing both old and new sections

Current Request

Recognising the considerable capital investment, the club want to now secure its tenure of the site by surrendering its current lease, which expires in 2015, and seek approval for a new lease term totalling 34 years and commencing in 2008.

There is no change to the clubs’ operation or indeed, the contents of the lease document other than a variation to the term of the lease. The request relates specifically to the term of the lease of land.

The effect of the request does nothing other than alter when the lease expires. Instead of expiring in 2015 under the current lease, the new lease will expire in 2042.

There is provision within the lease that allows the Council to redevelop the park in future if it decides to take back the land to do this

Process

As required by the Reserves Act 1977, a public notice was been published in the Hutt News on 13th May 2008 inviting people to make a submission on the proposal. Submitters have until 4:00pm on the 13th June 2008 to do this. Land details are recorded in the public notice.

Following the 20 working day public notice period, a report will be submitted to the Petone Community Board. The report will outline all the details of the proposal, whether there are any submissions and what, if any actions need to be taken in regards to the submissions, and of course recommend a course of action. Officers support this proposal as it currently stands and plan to report to the Petone Community Board at its meeting on the 7th July 2008.

Please contact Aaron Marsh, Sportsgrounds Assets Manager on (04) 5706721 or aaron.marsh@huttcity.govt.nz, if you have any further questions.