Posted: 22 January 2009
One Tree Pt seawall should be allowed - NRC
A new seawall should be able to be built in a One Tree Point area which has already seen a public safety issue caused by cliff subsidence, a Northland Regional Council Committee says.
The Whangarei District Council (WDC) asked the Northland Regional Council (NRC) for permission to remove an existing timber seawall at Paradise Point to build a new 125-metre long seawall and reclaim 230 square metres of seabed behind the proposed new seawall.
A three member Regional Council Hearings Committee heard the WDC’s application in Whangarei last month and delivered its decision recently.
The Committee, chaired by Cr Lorraine Hill, granted the District Council consent to remove the old seawall - described as being in an advanced state of disrepair - and debris from it. It also granted consent to build a new revetment (retaining) wall and has recommended the Minister of Conservation grant consent for the reclamation.
The application was publicly notified in July last year, attracting 26 submissions, all but three in support.
Outlining the reasons for its decision, the Committee said the proposed revetment wall was in an area heavily-used by the community and which “has also been the site of serious injury caused by cliff subsidence”.
“The community has actively canvassed the Whangarei District Council for replacement of the seawall for safety reasons.”
The Committee said the proposal would also reduce erosion, increase public access, help protect some archaeological midden sites from erosion and that removal of the old seawall would increase the attractiveness of the area.
With the consent conditions it was imposing, the effects of the proposal would also be “no more than minor”.
Consent for the removal of the timber seawall and debris runs until 31 December 2013, while consent for the revetment wall expires on 31 December 2043.
The Committee’s decisions are subject to appeal for 15 working days.
One Tree Pt seawall decision