The budget blowout of nearly $500,000 on the Phoenix carpark fiasco is unbelievable. TCC's predilection to spend about $3.5m on this ill-conceived Mount Maunganui urban space project defies belief and is rapidly turning into a financial mess.

Works have already been going on for several months (ridiculous) with no end in sight. Several palm trees suitable for a park were ripped out when contractors only needed to uplift asphalt and re-grass the area, plus maybe upgrade the toilets. No good reason has been given as to why or how the 2015 budget was not updated in 2018.

Council bureaucrats and elected members display a cavalier attitude to TCC ratepayers' money and seem totally unconcerned about events. This urban green space was quite unnecessary, costing the public at least 50 critical carparks and millions of dollars which is a lose/lose situation.

Heads should roll at city hall and, incidentally, council has also provided land at no cost for a commercial enterprise to temporarily relocate on part of the site while adjoining new premises are constructed. When did TCC become a registered charity for private businesses? This nonsense shows clearly TCC don't give a tinkers about ratepayers' views or the profligate spending of ratepayer funds.

S Paterson, Ohauiti.

Jaine Lovell-Gadd, general manager: city transformation at Tauranga City Council responds:

The construction of the urban space will cost $2.49m in total. Of this, $1.27m has been funded by development contributions, specifically collected to create and develop a new open space in the Mount North area. The remaining $1.22m is rate-funded.

Contract negotiations and value engineering exercises were still ongoing when the Long Term Plan was being drafted. These have now been finalised and there is certainty regarding the funding that is needed to complete the project in line with the proposed design and community expectations.

A total of 53 new car parking spaces have been added to nearby streets (Nikau Crescent, Prince Avenue, May Street car park and Shadelands Lane).

Council has worked collaboratively with the adjacent landowner, Mauao Properties Ltd who is redeveloping the site at 113-121 Maunganui Road, to coordinate construction activities and minimise the disruption. The adjacent redevelopment will provide outdoor dining on the edge of the open space, via a lease with council. Council will receive a commercial return on the lease over the open space.