Road to run through bird park
A Hamilton man is devastated that 20-plus years of work is on the cusp of being undone due to the construction of a new road.
Murray Shaw opened his Bird Reserve to the public at the weekend but it could be short-lived.
As part of the Peacocke development, a road is planned to carve through his seven-hectare bird park near his house.
‘‘We aren’t boo-hooing the road – we just want it not to go through our house,’’ Shaw said.
‘‘The biggest concern is the money the council is spending to go across the Mangakotukutuku gully when it could be put south with no hindrance to anybody.’’
Over the past 29 years, Shaw and his wife Margaret have lived at Hall Rd, just south of Glenview, where they’ve built up the bird park.
Shaw has been opposed to the road from the get go. Signs at the entrance of the property state:
‘‘The East/West motorway CANNOT GO HERE and ruin the 7ha park for Hamilton! It needs to go where the 8000 houses are going to be built.’’
A meeting held at Hamilton Airport four and a half years ago was the first Shaw heard of the proposed road. His submission to stop the route wasn’t successful and now there are surveyors and soil testing scheduled for December.
They’ve been told cars are expected to be driving on the motorway within two years.
The bird park has seven ponds with over 30 varieties of birds and more than 500 native trees, which Shaw planted himself, and 2km of paved walkway.
The Shaws don’t begrudge the Peacocke development but just wish it didn’t have to affect their property.
The couple met with mayor Andrew King last Thursday and were told there was no shifting the road.
Hamilton City Council’s strategic development manager Andrew Parsons said the council was working with the Shaws to see what they could do to minimise any impact their work would have on their property. ‘‘The locations of the roads through Peacocke were part of the three-year process starting in 2011 where the council considered a whole range of different options for the road locations along with options submitted by the public and landowners,’’ Parsons said.
‘‘Along with that journey, there were opportunities for the public, including landowners, to understand the plans and have their say.
‘‘Ultimately, this was decided by independent planning commissioners through public hearings.’’
They are now past the point of looking at road alignment options, he said, and are working to develop the infrastructure to support the 9000 people who will call Peacocke home in the next 10 years.
‘‘This new road still needs further design work although it will be a standard city road, a single lane in each direction with footpath and cycleway, similar size and style to Borman Rd or Te Aroha St,’’ Parsons said.
‘‘We aren’t boo-hooing the road – we just want it not to go through our house.’’
Murray Shaw