Local councillor Matt Wong believes it is the council’s duty to protect reserves, and the likes of Guy Hingston’s roading project "should normally go through a very stringent consultation process with the public".
"We did a lot of work on the Ben Lomond reserve management plan only 12 months ago, or thereabouts, and it was mainly around how we protect that reserve and make sure it’s safeguarded for public use long-term.
"I think any thought of putting a main highway through a reserve is always a little bit of a contradiction to what the Reserves Act is trying to achieve."
Fernhill-based Wong also notes how the budget blew out for stage one of the arterial bypass.
"There’s a little bit being done for stage two but, again, the bill to pay for stage two and stage three is humongous."
And if a developer was relying, at least in part, on Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) funding, "let’s be honest, NZTA funding hasn’t been coming thick and fast, and the cavalry isn’t coming, shall we say, as far as central government funding’s concerned".
