Hotel proposed at the Groynes

Press, 19 February 1987, Page 6

Hotel proposed at the Groynes

A 200-bed hotel is being planned for a site next to the Groynes. If permission is granted by the Waimairi District Council, the Harvey Wallbanger Lodge would be built at the southern corner of Johns Road and the new entrance to the Groynes.

The land is zoned Rural C and would have to be rezoned before the hotel could be built

. The council agreed last evening to begin procedures to change the zoning. Any change would be subject to public hearings.

A director of Harvey Hotels, Mr Pat Baldwin, said there would be no

boundaries between the Groynes and the complex. People visiting the Groynes would be able to use the hotel’s tearooms and other facilities.

A small boating lake, squash courts, tennis courts, golf-putting course, outdoor spa pools, winery, and cheese factory were all planned for the 9ha site. All would be open to the public. The small winery would process grape juice bought-in from vineyards. It would produce wine for the hotel’s restaurant and possibly sell bottles for off-site consumption.

Mr Baldwin said the complex would have a

low profile when viewed from Johns Road. “It will be a maximum of two storeys. Once the Johns Road frontage has been landscaped, you will hardly be able to see the hotel. It will be a very low-key presence,” he said.

The land was low-lying so it was proposed to use hard-fill dug from the site of the boating lake as a platform for the buildings.

The hotel would be part of a new chain being built in New Zealand. Other lodges were being built at Paihia, Auckland, Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington, Picton, Nelson, Greymouth,

and Queenstown. It. was hoped to have all lodges finished in two years. Each lodge would have its own theme and atmosphere. The Groynes site would be aimed at tourists seeking a quiet, rural atmosphere, away from the central city, said Mr Baldwin. He did not think the open boundary and the availability of the hotel’s facilities to the public would pose a security problem. The hotel would be staffed 24 hours a day.

The presence of the hotel could provide better security for the Groynes. If the hotel were ap-

proved the caretaker’s house and entrance to the Groynes could be resited near the hotel. The Waimairi District Engineer, Mr John Lamb, said yesterday that the council had wanted to move the original entrance for several years. It was on a bend in Johns Road and considered dangerous. Access to the main Groynes area could then be made through the hotel site, next to the existing boundary with the Groynes.

Mr Baldwin said he thought it would take 18 months to build the hotel once permission had been given.