The Horowhenua District Council consultation period on beach access for vehicles ended on 20 February 2024, with 446 submissions. Submissions show that there is both strong support and strong opposition for vehicle access at Waikawa Beach.
Councillors met on 20 March 2024 to decide how to proceed. In brief: the decision has been delayed.
The Consultation Report offered 3 choices for Councillors to consider: no vehicle access at all, or two ways to pause proceedings. It seems the landowners of the previous vehicle access track are disinclined to allow permanent access in future, so the options of rebuilding the previous access are no longer available.
3. Recommendation
3.1 That Report 24/114 Waikawa Beach Vehicle Access-way be received.
3.2 That this matter or decision is recognised as significant in terms of S76 of the Local Government Act.
3.3 That Council does not facilitate vehicle access to Waikawa Beach. However, continues to support pedestrian access through established pathways on publicly owned land. OR
3.4 That Council pauses the current process and re-assesses options to provide beach access on Waikawa beach at an alternate site. OR
3.5 That Council pauses the current process and lays it on the table to resume at a future date
This was amended at the last moment in an Addendum. At the HDC meeting on 20 March 2024 a slightly amended item 2.6 was carried. See note below. The effect of this is that no decision has yet been made, Council officers will carry out more work and new recommendations will be brought to Councillors for a decision.
I’ll write a blog post once the Minutes are available. If you wish, watch the recorded meeting.
Note — Item 2.6: That after hearing submissions on Options 1, 2, 3, and given the general level of support for the provision of a vehicle accessway, that Council pauses the current process and requests the Chief Executive to report back to Council on alternative options to provide vehicle accessway at Waikawa Beach. [Note this was slightly amended to make sure voices of those opposing access are heard and includes Option 3 of no access. Also to add ‘potential’ before ‘access’. See the Minutes for the final version.]
