Council must back down on Cape Palliser road closure plan

ACT Local Government spokesperson Cameron Luxton is calling on South Wairarapa District Council to ditch its plan to shut off public access to Cape Palliser.

Luxton has written a letter to Mayor Martin Connelly urging the Council to withdraw its proposed bylaw, and is encouraging New Zealanders to make a submission to the council before submissions close tomorrow.

The bylaw would close an unformed legal road that provides essential access to public land, sparking strong opposition from locals and regular visitors, especially hunters, fishers, trampers, surfers and ratepayers who use the route regularly.

"At the Ngawi public meeting, someone asked whether the Council had actually got legal advice before launching this process," says Luxton. "The answer was no. That’s staggering, and it tells you everything about how poorly thought through this proposal is.

"In his response to my letter, the Mayor doesn't address concerns over the legality of the closure. Instead, he argues that visitors to the cape can make do with 'alternative public routes'. Those familiar with the area make the point that this would mean traipsing for hours o'er hill and dale or across less safe rocky, tidal areas.

"The Council’s process has completely missed the mark. They’ve done the bare minimum in order to claim they've consulted with the public, when it's obvious the plan from the outset was to shut us out of land we have legal rights to access. They need to pull the plug and start treating the community with some respect."

Submissions on the proposal close tomorrow, and Luxton is urging everyone who values public access to speak up before it’s too late.

"If you reckon this is a stitch-up, and most people do, then get your submission in," says Mr Luxton. "You don't have to live in South Wairarapa. Anyone who wants to visit this stunning piece of coastline has an interest in protecting public access. And if we let one council get away with locking us out of our coastline, others will follow suit. It takes five minutes to tell the Council they’ve got this one badly wrong.”

Links to letters:

Letter to Mayor Martin Connelly

Response to Cameron Luxton