Raetihi buildings policy called for

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 416, 10 December 1991, Page 3

Raetihi buildings policy called for

Tentative approval of a scheme whereby the Council would take over abandoned Raetihi commercial properties has been given. At last Friday's meeting councillors agreed to call on the Waimarino Community Board to develop a policy to manage the scheme. Councillors decided it should be limited to Raetihi, and strict limits be set to the number of properties taken on. The Raetihi Promotions Group has asked the council if it acquires a derelict building, demolishes it and tidies up the site, would the council offer rates relief until it could be sold, or take over the property. "The idea is to take the rough edges off the commercial area," said Mayor Garrick Workman. Cr Bill Peach said the group was only looking at one or two buildings that were derelict. Cr Doug Bennett said the group should make every effort to try to sell the properties before the council takes them over. Cr Bobby Vine said he was not comfortable with the idea of the council taking on more property, while there was a working party looking at getting rid of large numbers of surplus parcels of land. "On the one hand we are disposing of surplus property and on the other hand acquiring property," said Cr Don Lawton. "We could end up with a lot of commercial sections we really don't want." Mr Workman said he wondered if the area concemed would be prepared to fund the cost of the scheme by way of a community rate, so the cost would not be borne by the council as a whole. He said the council should look at the scheme because if the buildings were abandoned and derelict they would become the responsibility of council anyway. Mr Workman said Raetihi had a fairly lengthy strip of commercial property with lots of gaps. He said the promotion group had initially looked at plans to condense the commercial district but that this idea had met with opposition. "I don't think we will ever see the day when Raetihi fills up with shops again," said Cr Shaw. He said the council would never sell the properties if it took them on.