You might recall that back in November 2021 Horowhenua District Council received a petition asking for vehicle access to the beach through the pedestrian walkway at #10 Reay Mackay Grove. See details at 2021 Petition on vehicle and horse access to Waikawa Beach.
The cogs of Council have done some grinding and now consultation on vehicle access to Waikawa Beach is in its earliest stages.
In spite of the wording below I have been assured the option of taking No Action is still on the table
. Meanwhile, discussion is around turning one of the two pedestrian tracks to the beach off Reay Mackay Grove into a vehicle access.
Gabe Ross, a Registered NZILA Landscape Architect from Boffa Miskell, who is key to the consultation process, has given me permission to say:
If you wanted to place a general notice letting people know the site survey and assessment work is underway and public feedback will be sought in an open house and online survey in June [2023] that would be fine.
See also Confirmation of community consultation around beach access which discusses the HDC budget of $300,000 for new vehicle access, including this:
4) The figure of 300k is a rough estimate for works but will no doubt change should the project go ahead following the process outlined in 1–3 above.
It is also important to confirm that any work that may be undertaken to facilitate access to the beach (if supported by the community) would be subject to gaining a resource consent from Horizons Regional Council. Any such consent is likely to require public notification which would provide another opportunity for residents to make representation in favour of, or against any proposal. Should you seek further information on this I’d suggest you speak to the consenting division of Horizon’s Regional Council.
