Beach plan abandoned | Hawkes Bay News | Local News in Hawkes Bay

LAWRENCE GULLERY

Hawke's Bay groups lobbying to save Ocean Beach from major development are claiming a victory for the public after a plan to build 1000 homes at the popular beach site was abandoned.

Future Ocean Beach member Bruno Chambers, Havelock North, said the group was not surprised by Hill Country Corporation's decision to pull its private plan change for the beach.

``There are a large number of environmental and archaeological issues that have not been dealt with in their [private] plan change,' he said.

Mr Chambers said it was a victory for ``process and common sense', and the Hastings District Council should be congratulated for its work around the private plan change.

Future Ocean Beach's view that the beach was unsuitable for urban development was also supported by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust, the Department of Conservation, Transit New Zealand, the Hawke's Bay Regional Council and the New Archaeological Association.

``Initially we felt the HDC [the district council] was biased towards the developer but their current position reflects public opinion and acknowledges their legal obligations under the Coastal Policy Statement and the RMA [Resource Management Act],' Mr Chambers said.

His organisation would continue to remain vigilant however, as the council moved ahead with its own structure plan which governs what development should occur at the beach. The council's plan would allow for 463 homes.

``Initially, the structure plan was supported by Future Ocean Beach, we felt it was a reasonable alternative but now there is opposition from the public and local Maori,' Mr Chambers said. ``There are groups that feel the council's structure plan is too liberal.'

Mr Chambers and another opponent, Tukituki Valley's Tom Belford, believed the current economic climate would make it difficult for any development to go ahead.

``The economic reality has finally matched up with the political aspirations that the people don't want this to happen,' Mr Belford said.

Friends of Ocean Beach spokesperson, Chris Ryan, said it was now time to talk about what might be appropriate for Ocean Beach.