28/10/07

Developer ignorant about big changes at Council,

Says Paraparaumu Airport Coalition

The Paraparaumu Airport Coalition says developer Noel Robinson’s latest claims show he’s flown back from the World Cup in Paris in an optimistic fog of his own making.

Coalition convenor Alan Tristram says: “His claim that 90 per cent of local interests will be happy with Big Box development on Paraparaumu Airport proves that he’s not aware of the implications of the District Council election results.

“One of his PR hacks should have told him that all, except one, of his supporters on the Council have been thrown out,” says former Councillor Tristram.

“Crs Strachan, Mansell and Gregory, who all voted for Robinson’s plans to go forward to an RMA Hearing without full public consultation beforehand, have all been voted out,” he says.

Mr Tristram says the two Mayoral candidates who were most enthusiastic about Mr
“Mr Robinson needs to wake up to the political realities,” he says. “The new council has a natural majority against unpopular developments like the proposals for an industrial and commercial estate on the alternate runway.”

Mr Tristram also points out the Airport Coalition got two of its key members – Lyndy McIntyre and Peter Daniel -- elected to Council with big majorities.

He says it is an ‘amazing feat’ that they beat ‘big business’ candidates backed by the local Chamber of Commerce – which in turn has been the most pro-big-development voice in the District.

“On top of all this, the two community boards south of the Waikanae River both have leading figures who are diametrically opposed to Mr Robinson’s plans,” Mr Tristram says.

“The election of Dale Evans for the first time to the Paraparaumu/Raumati Board with a huge vote is bad news for Mr Robinson – as is the re-election of Paekakariki chair Adrian Webster,” he says.

“In the longer run the political realities will spell the end of Mr Robinson’s grandiose and unpopular plans,” he says.

And Mr Tristram says Mr Robinson is up to his old tricks by claiming that he now has 90 per cent support, blithely ignoring the solid 10-to one majority of RMA submissions against his plans.

“He seems to have flown back to New Zealand through a lot of fog,” says Mr Tristram. “Maybe we should change the description of his methods from ‘smoke and mirrors to ‘fog and mirrors’ ”.

ENDS

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