'Council took us for ride' says tennis academy

An academy for budding tennis stars is furious at the Auckland City Council for breaking a promise to lease Mt Wellington's Fisher Park Reserve.

This follows revelations in the Herald on Wednesday of a secret deal last August by senior council officers and former Mayor John Banks to sell the park to Coca-Cola Amatil for an undisclosed sum.

It is understood that one of the conditions of the deal was that Coca-Cola would hold its tongue over any objections it might have to Mr Banks' pet Eastern Highway project.

Four months earlier, Coca-Cola's managing director, George Adams, wrote to councillors threatening to fight the proposed route through its Mt Wellington property unless a compromise could be reached.

Academy promoter Mike Johnston said that two years ago the council agreed to lease the park to a charitable trust to turn the abandoned Fisher Park Tennis Club facilities into Auckland's first comprehensive junior tennis academy.

The Junior Development Charitable Trust, with backing from New Zealand Tennis, planned to upgrade the facilities, build three new clay courts and provide public access.

Last December the council backtracked on its promise to lease the park to the academy and approved "to commence the revocation of the reserve status over Fisher Park" in order to sell the land and adjacent road, The Oasis, to Coca-Cola.

"Big business has pushed aside this recreation and sports initiative," Mr Johnston said.

The council and Coca-Cola were involved in attempts to find an alternative site for the academy, including land at Elstree Ave in Glen Innes, but nothing eventuated.

Mr Johnston said he wrote to council property manager Peter Beckerleg last July about the academy's concerns but had no reply.

"What really gets up my nose is that all along we were taken for the ride.

"[The council said] 'We like your idea, we fully support it, we will make it work for you and, if not here, then somewhere else'.

"That hasn't happened," Mr Johnston said.

Mr Adams could not be reached for comment.