Speed limits and land use discussed by community board
PUBLIC FORUM
Helicopter resource consent. The Naked Possum Café’s resource consent application to construct a helipad for commercial helicopter tourism activities caught the attention of speakers in the public forum.
Robyn Darney said, “I have big concerns about the invasion of the valley by this kind of tourism. I’ve lived in this beautiful valley for nearly 22 years. It’s my place of rest and recovery. I’m concerned that there seems to be an assumption that the resource consent is going to be granted. Heli-flights are mentioned in the new artists’ brochure as a feature of the Naked Possum. It’s really disturbing.”
Rudolf Samper described the idea of having the Naked Possum connected to a helicopter business as a “nightmare”. “I have really enjoyed playing unobtrusive music there. This is the worst possible idea. The music I play there is about connection, and helicopters would ruin that and spoil the whole character of the café. My purpose here is to speak as I would to Jocelyn personally. I’d say: If you want to keep your café the wonderful place that we all know it is, drop the idea of connecting it with a helicopter business.”
Board chair Joe Bell said: “A resource consent hearing is a community process. Submissions close on 23 November and I urge everyone with something to say to make a submission. All points of view and opinions must be heard and taken into account before a decision is reached.”
Road signs. Ross McDonald spoke on behalf of Golden Bay Collectable Vehicle Club. Members have expressed concerns about the number of roadside signs in the whole of the Bay. “They’re a distraction,” said Ross. You could try to count them between Takaka and Collingwood for example. You’d only be able to do it if you were a passenger, there’s too many for a driver to count. It’s quite a concern to the members of the club. People should be watching the road, not the signs.”
Emergency radio. Penny Griffith asked about what to do in a tsunami. Again the radio frequencies listed in the TDC Newsline for Golden Bay are ones that we can’t get on a transistor. She had hoped to get a definitive answer from Cr Noel Riley in his role as emergency radio expert, but Cr Riley was absent.
Fulton Hogan award. The community board had organised a special morning tea shout for Gavin Stobie and Kevin Bruning from Fulton Hogan to mark the national roading award won by their firm for the Eureka Bend restoration project.
Further business
Garden Competition. The garden competition will take place again this year in the second week of December. TDC’s environmental education officer Claire Webster will co-ordinate it, and Jenny Borlase, Claire and Joe Bell will be the judges.
Roading. “Quite a few seal extensions are happening outside the Bay. “We need to make sure crucial roads in our area are given a higher priority. We have made representations to our MPs to try and get the same subsidies as the West Coast,” said Mr Bell.
Board member Carolyn McLellan said, “Our tourist numbers have increased a lot. At the Pakawau Annual Plan meeting this was a top priority for many people. The tourists come from overseas to see our ‘must-sees’ and they go there on our gravel roads. This is a national funding issue. It’s not fair that TDC should have to bear the cost.”
The board will continue to make representations on the roads that have a high tourist factor.
Land use. Mr Bell commented on land-use planning, regretting the large tracts of rural land that are being compromised by major development elsewhere in the Tasman District.
“It’s all productive land,” he said. “The top agricultural land on the Waimea Plain has been zoned for urban development. As a district we should be concerned. TDC is a unitary authority so there’s no separation of decision-making. It’s outside of Golden Bay but as residents of the district, we need to be taking heed of this.”
Board member McLellan said: “We had farmers mentioning this as part of our Annual Plan meetings. We want to make sure that good agricultural and horticultural land should not be touched. Cr Borlase says there is no stomach for this in Richmond, but our ratepayers are concerned.”
Speed limit review. Mr Bell described the current speed limit review as “a partial job”. “It’s good to see the changes that are proposed, but we have concerns about the limit in Rototai Road remaining at 70kmph. We’re also concerned about Abel Tasman Drive. We’ve had a lot of submissions about this.” The board will make a submission requesting a reconsideration of the proposed speed limits on those two stretches of road.
Privatising water. Earlier in Public Forum, Alan Vaughan had vigorously opposed any privatisation of water.
“The cost of water in Australia went up every year where it was privatised,” he said. “We were told it was because of the need for investment in spreading reticulation, the actual cost of getting the water out of the ground and the remuneration of boards and CEOs. I predict that water will get more expensive every year if it’s privatised and I’m sure we’ll hear the same reasons for the increases.”
Mr Bell explained that the cabinet has approved a paper okaying corporatisation of water supplies. The board will submit on this, opposing any kind of privatisation. The change does not apply to small community schemes that are not for profit or individual water supplies of property owners, Mr Bell explained.
The board opposes privatisation of the supply of drinking water even by a council-owned company.
“It works against accountability and transparency and the company might be sold to private owners in tough economic times,” said Mr Bell.
Board member Leigh Gamby said, “This is one of the scariest things that’s come out of government. I think we do have to make some noise about it and make people aware of the possible outcomes. We’re told that the wars of the 21st century will be fought over water.”
Board member Karen Brookes said, “It smacks of Big Brother and greed to me. Let’s oppose it.”
Annual Plan prioritisation. The board was to have a workshop at the end of its meeting to prioritise the list of items raised at the eight meetings held throughout the Bay as part of the Annual Plan process.
Neil Wilson
