Feedback sought on reserve land classification
NEWS RELEASE
3 December 2009
Feedback sought on
reserve land classification plan
Wellington City
Council is planning to classify land on the South Coast,
Outer Green Belt and some sites in the inner city as reserve
to protect them and guide how they can be used.
The
37 sites include Te Raekaihau Point, Te Rimurapa (Sinclair
Head), part of the Island Bay foreshore, the rocky outcrop
at Moa Point, Pariwhero (Red Rocks), more than 200 hectares
of land at Makara Peak and about 48 hectares on Wrights
Hill.
A variety of possible reserve classifications
are listed in the Reserves Act and Council staff have
assessed the uses and importance of each site to determine
what they believe is the most appropriate classification in
each case.
Wellingtonians now have the opportunity
to consider those proposed classifications and let the
Council know what they think. Feedback and any objections
are required by Friday 12 February.
The Council’s
Environment Portfolio Leader, Councillor Celia Wade-Brown,
says the areas are generally places that most people would
already regard as reserve. Most have been managed under the
South Coast or Outer Green Belt management plans, but some
aren’t officially classified under the Reserves Act, which
means the sites and their special features aren’t as well
protected as they could be.
“This process will
ensure they all get the protection they deserve,” she
says. “A few of the sites on the South Coast have been
classified in recent years but more specific classifications
are being proposed around the baches at
Pariwhero.
“It is proposed the area, including
the four baches, be classified as historic reserve. The Red
Rocks baches and the land around them are listed by the New
Zealand Historic Places Trust as an historic area and the
proposed classification will better reflect that and allow
them to be leased to the people who care for them now. The
interesting history and these community-minded people are an
important part of the South Coast atmosphere and add a level
of safety and surveillance.”
The details of the
sites and the reserve classifications proposed for them are
outlined in the draft Reserve Classification Plan, which is
available from libraries, by phoning 499 4444 or online at
www.Wellington.govt.nz. Feedback can either be made online
in the ‘Have Your Say’ section of the Council’s
website or by completing the Freepost feedback form included
in the
plan.
ends