KEY POINTS:
North Shore City Council has reversed a decision which blocked Mayor Andrew Williams' bid to allow Youthtown to put a portable building on a bowling club's surplus land.
Mr Williams was furious a fortnight ago when the community services & parks committee outvoted 7-6 a move by him and councillor Callum Blair to approve a sublease for the Youthtown facility.
Later, he confronted members of the North Shore Events Centre's board of trustees, saying they were letting down the city's youth by speaking out against the neighbouring Sunnybrae Bowling Club subleasing land to Youthtown.
However, Mr Williams was smiling after Wednesday night's meeting of the full council.
Mr Blair succeeded with a second attempt to get council blessing, as landowner, for the club's lease to be modified to take Youthtown's relocatable building.
The vote was 11-5 for the proposal.
Mr Blair said yesterday the Youthtown proposal was a "no-brainer" because it was using its money to provide a greatly needed facility.
The bowling club's lease was due to expire in February 2010 and Youthtown would use its spare land for a North Shore base while the council prepared a redevelopment plan for southern precinct public recreation land.
Mr Blair said he tried again because at the earlier meeting he did not think all councillors fully understood the proposal and three potential supporters were missing.
Yesterday, one of the councillors who voted against the proposal, Lisa Whyte, said the events centre and five other community groups were taking part in the precinct planning.
"I haven't a problem with Youthtown - it's about the process.
"This is queue jumping through influence and I can't abide that."
Mrs Whyte said the other groups with expansion proposals were told to wait for the plan and it was unfair to then give preference to Youthtown.
