Birkenhead Residents Association

Hearing of submissions to the proposal to lease the Rawene Reserve to the Great Chelsea Gardens Trust

April 15 2011, by Warwick Jones

Granting of a lease to the Great Chelsea Gardens Trust declined
The following is an extract from the Rawene Reserve Hearing Report 11.4.11

Executive Summary: The Council publically notified a proposal to lease the Rawene Reserve to the Great Chelsea Gardens Trust (the Trust) for a 10 year term in June 2010. The Trust proposes the creation of a series of themed ornamental gardens in the reserve.

One hundred and forty two submissions were received and there were two late submissions. The hearing of submissions was put on hold pending the transition to the new Council and the need for the applicant to provide further information in response to submission points. This further information is included in the report.

The report summarises the submission points into themes and provides the policy framework to assess the proposal. It also includes additional information or reports from Council officers in response to submission points to assist the Hearing´s Panel to deliberate and decide on the Trust´s lease application.

Recommendations:

a) That the report be received.

b) That the granting of a lease to the Great Chelsea Gardens Trust be declined, for the following reasons:

i) The unstable nature of the land and its importance for storm water flows,

ii) The natural values of the stream and regenerating bush and their contribution to the ecological values in the wider area,

iii) The incompatibility of the proposal with the status and management of the Chelsea Estate Heritage Park,

iv) The lack of local community and neighbouring landowner support,

v) The lack of commitment from cultural groups or plant-orientated societies to fund and implement the proposal, and

vi) The lack of infrastructure able to adequately support a major tourist destination.

c) That it be suggested to the Great Chelsea Gardens Trust, they work with the Friends of Rawene Reserve group to develop a restoration programme for Rawene Reserve in keeping with the heritage values of the wider area and the desires of the local community.

View and / or download Hearing of submissions to the proposal to lease the Rawene Reserve to the Great Chelsea Gardens Trust

Great Chelsea Gardens

July 2010, by Warwick Jones

The Great Chelsea Garden Trust has applied to North Shore City Council to lease the land known as Rawene Road Reserve so that they can develop "themed ornamental gardens". Their vision is to create a 'spectacular garden park of international significance'.

A map of the proposed leased area outlined in Red.

The Trust has also approached property owners to gift a portion of their land to the trust in the hopes that they can secure a ´pathway´ from the Heritage Park at Chelsea (between Huka and Rawene) up to a recently purchased parcel of private land, and then the reserve.

The trust intends creating a number of outdoor room gardens including Japanese, Korean, begonia, herb, Chinese etc that would involve re-contouring much of the Rawene valley - rumored to be with ´fill´ from the Victoria Park Tunnel Project.

Further ambitions include the installation of a cable car, and a model railway, and seeking permission to have tourists land at Chelsea Sugar Works to wend their way up the hill.

For more information on this proposal contact:

Graham Milne - 444 4795
Chairman, Chelsea Gardens Trust
84 Hillcrest Avenue, Northcote
Email: gcg@ihug.co.nz