Members of the public have until mid-January to have their
say on a new management plan for coastal reserves around
Dunedin.
Dunedin City Council staff have identified 11 coastal
reserves across the city - including at Brighton, Karitane,
Long Beach, Ocean View, Waikouaiti and Warrington - to be
reclassified under the council's draft coastal dune reserve
management plan.
The change would result in the reserves' status being changed
from recreational areas to local purpose (coastal protection)
zones, providing new powers to protect the sensitive areas at
the expense of some recreational rights.
Councillors at a recent meeting of the community development
committee voted to approve the draft management plan,
containing the reclass-ifications, for a two-month period of
public consultation.
Depending on the number of submissions received, a public
hearing could follow.
A report to the meeting by council reserves policy and
planning officer Dolina Lee said the change aimed to protect
and preserve the dunes while providing for recreation where
possible.
Under the Reserves Act 1977, local authorities were required
to classify the primary use of the reserves they owned.
Speaking to the Otago Daily Times earlier this year, council
community and recreation services manager Mick Reece said
changes in the reserves' status recognised the importance of
protecting the coastal environment from flooding, erosion and
other threats.
"You can't recreate if the dunes disappear and you are
inundated, so the primary driver for managing the reserves
should be coastal protection," he said.
Consultation was the latest step in the development of the
draft plan, stretching back to 2002.
Approval of the reclass-ifications was needed by the
Department of Conservation, and a final approval of the
changes would be made at a subsequent council meeting.
chris.morris@odt.co.nz
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