Residents rally to fight council

They are all trying to force TCDC to take a close look at its own guidelines and the way it assesses resource consent applications.

Whitianga Citizens and Ratepayers Association sent a delegation to Thames to leave the planners in no doubt that residents want the matter addressed urgently.

And Karen Sandler, owner of The Fireplace in Whitianga, has launched her own campaign against the Thames Coromandel District Council for allowing developers to make use of what she describes as 'huge loopholes' in the town plan.

Mrs Sandler has hired a lawyer to fight the proposed First Light Suites development next to her restaurant. She says the proposal contravenes the guidelines for development in Whitianga.

She claims the developer is seeking approval for his apartments as "travellers' accommodation" while advertising them for sale as 'exclusive residences' with a selling price from $285,000 to $786,000 but no daily tariff.

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