Blenheim park mooted for seniors’ home won’t be developed

A Marlborough reserve tipped as a site for a shared home for seniors will not be developed as proposed.

The land, at Murphys Creek Reserve, had been mooted as a potential site for Abbeyfield Marlborough, following a submission to the council’s annual plan earlier this year.

However, the land had been derived from the Crown, so in August the council decided to put any consultation on hold until after it talked to the Department of Conservation about whether it could give up the land.

At an assets and services committee meeting on Tuesday, the council’s parks and open spaces planner Linda Craighead recommended the council not go ahead with disposing the land.

The statutory land management team at DOC had told the council if they gave up the land, it would go back to the Land Information New Zealand, Linda said.

“So the council would have absolutely no say on whether that land could be used by Abbeyfield,” she said.

“Under the statute, the land actually has to be offered [by LINZ] back to the original purchasers, or their successors.

“So, in the absence of the council actually being able to decide whether this land can be used by Abbeyfield, my recommendation is that we don't proceed with the revocation process.”

Under the Reserves Act, any revocation of land derived from the Crown must be disposed of as specified by the Minister of Conservation. The council held the land in trust from the Crown.

Abbeyfield Marlborough was a group that had been trying to bring a shared flat-style home to Blenheim for the better part of six years.

The volunteer-based charity had 14 houses across the country. The purpose-built home pitched for Blenheim would house about 12 senior citizens.

Blenheim ward councillor Jonathan Rosene said a specific part of a report prepared by Craighead for the meeting, reiterating there was no guarantee Abbeyfield would gain access to the land, “really drives the point home”.

This could result in an “unintended consequence” of the land being lost for community use, the report said.

“If we lose it, we lose it forever,” Jonathan said.

Marlborough mayor Nadine Taylor told the committee she had met with Abbeyfield Marlborough last week to explain the outcome “out of courtesy”.

“I thought it was important to take them through this paper and explain it to them,” Nadine said.

“They really understand the contents of the paper and the situation that we find ourselves in.

“They, too, didn't want to see the reserve lost from Marlborough's space if we were to revoke [it] … because it could be lost.”

Abbeyfield Marlborough member Russell Hopkins said there was always a possibility that the idea would not work out.

“It’s the way that things are at the moment ... we can’t change it."

He said the group would continue to look for a suitable piece of land.

“It was always going to be a long journey,” he said.

The committee agreed not to proceed with the process. This was subject to full council sign off on December 14.

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air.