Walkway view concern

For the first part of its existence New Plymouth turned its back on the sea and ignored it.

For nearly half a century the council has worked tirelessly to reverse this. The Coastal Walkway is the result of these efforts and is now a magnificent and wellused asset to the community. This is not just a physical access but a visual closeness to the sea that has changed the face of the city.

Yet concealed under the complex designations of the New Plymouth Council’s proposed District Plan it becomes possible to reverse this process and close off the finest visual access so laboriously obtained.

The grassed area and car park between St Aubyn St and the Wind Wand (roughly between Queen St and Egmont St) is not reserve but is in fact Ma¯ ori owned and leased to council.

The proposed District Plan allows for the whole of this land to be built on to a height of 10 metres. This could mean a

solid block of buildings completely hiding the sea from the city centre.

The controls in place to manage the scale of such buildings are no different to the rest of the city centre, except that access must be provided to the walkway. That could be a footpath between buildings.

Just like the Fitzroy Golf Course, this is another case of New Plymouth open space which the people perceive to be theirs. This needs a similar reaction to protect the land for everybody

The right to object ends on Friday, November 22. If this matters, place an objection with the council by then. George Richardson, New Plymouth