The residents of Coopers Creek are still not happy, eight months on from when they had their licences to occupy the land renewed at Sandy Point for another 21 years.
Several residents spoke in council on Tuesday, including Kath and Brian McDonagh, on their submissions to the Sandy Point Management Plan.
Kath said the community felt “virtually invisible” in the plan, and Coopers Creek should be seen as a unique and significant treasure - having been occupied by residents since 1950.
Last year Coopers Creek residents fought to retain their land in perpetuity, but the Invercargill City Council wasn’t prepared to see the reserve land status revoked, knowing it would be too hard to push it through the Minister for Conservation and iwi.
They were offered another 21 years lease with a right of renewal for up to 35 years instead.
With 17 separate licences to occupy, stating only short-term or holiday occupancy allowed on the site, no permanent residents and all structures removed at the end, council’s hands were tied as to what they could do to help the residents.
Sandy Point was previously regarded a ‘domain’ but the Minister in 1992 approved a plan to change its status to reserve land.
Mayor Nobby Clark asked Kath who would own their properties if they weren’t currently tenanted?
Kath said people want to live there peacefully forever - the same as Invercargill, Bluff, Riverton or Auckland.
“But you are wiping out something that has existed since 1950. It has historical existence both now and in the past.”
Kath said some residents were getting older, but the extra restrictions in place for leases meant it was too difficult to sell their homes, because of the risk factor.
She said the price fell away to nothing and family members didn’t want the burden of the houses passed onto them.
"They should be able to sell their homes out there at any time in the future.”
But Mayor Clark said then what would happen to the leases of the properties?
“In my observation, there has been a lot of councillor hours gone into this and the reality is, I don’t think council could get approval to freehold the land.
“If we change to residential status, we need to get consent to build a subdivision close to water, and I tell you now, we wouldn’t get that.”
Mayor Clark said he also believed many residents were not in a position to buy the land anyway.
But he did have some sympathy regarding there being little mention of Coopers Creek in the Sandy Point Management Plan, and asked that it be looked into.
Councillors agreed for staff to bring back another paper to council - with clarification on some of the issues raised that were specific to Coopers Creek.
The Sandy Point Management Plan was endorsed by council, with a new motion to come back to council regarding revised lease arrangements at Coopers Creek as a separate item.