Kaipara District Council is considering purchasing land in Mangawhai for future use as public sporting and recreational facilities and wants to hear what the community thinks.

The decision to engage the Mangawhai community was made unanimously after an Extraordinary Meeting on Wednesday 10 August.

Mangawhai is one of the fastest growing areas in the country, and demand for public sport and recreational facilities is on the rise too. The Mangawhai Spatial Plan identifies the need for additional sports and/or recreational spaces to cater for the growing population.

Council has been investigating options for suitable land to meet this growing need. The preferred option is approximately 5.8 hectares located in Mangawhai Village.

According to an independent valuation, the land is worth around $5.9 million in today’s market. Any purchase will not impact rates, as Council is proposing to use the current pool of reserve contributions to buy the land.

“Based on our growth, the reserve contributions we are proposing to use for the purchase will be replenished in just over two years,” says Mayor Dr Jason Smith.

“Large, flat blocks of land are increasingly hard to find in central Mangawhai. The opportunity before us may not present itself again. It’s important to know what the community thinks of this proposed purchase before Council makes a final decision.”

Reserve contributions are funds collected from developers or property owners who are subdividing their land. The use of reserve contributions is specifically allocated for the purchase or upgrade of open spaces and are not available to fund other facilities like libraries, roading, waste etc. Funds are divided into four catchment areas across the District, and can only be used in the area they were collected, in this case Mangawhai. The proposed funds cannot be spent in other parts of the District.

Council is now seeking feedback from Mangawhai residents on the proposed purchase. To find out more, and to have your say – drop into the Kaipara District Council office in Mangawhai or complete the online survey at www.kaipara.govt.nz/haveyoursay between Thursday 11 August and Monday 5 September.

Results of the community feedback will be included in the report at the Council’s September meeting, where Elected Members will decide on whether to purchase the land.

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