Helena Bay pontoon, walkway granted consent

A proposed Helena Bay coastal walkway and pontoon designed to give a property owner easy access to his boat can go ahead, an independent commissioner has ruled. 

Applicant Helena Bay Holdings Limited had applied to the Northland Regional Council for several coastal permits it needed to create the 233-metre long walkway and place an approximately 14-metre long, 4m wide pontoon at Otara Bay, on the northern side of Helena Bay. 

Former Regional Councillor Mark Farnsworth heard the application as an independent commissioner at a hearing in Whangarei late last month and delivered his decision today. (subs: Thurs 16 Dec) 

The walkway, along a rocky inter-tidal area, and the pontoon are designed to allow the property owner easy access to (and load and unload) a “recreational fishing vessel” up to 17m long.  The applicant had also sought permission to dredge an approximately 200 square metre area of seabed to enable the pontoon to sit closer to shore. 

The application was publicly notified in August this year, attracting three opposing submissions, including one from the New Zealand Historic Places Trust (NZHPT) and another the Department of Conservation (DOC), both of which asked the Council to decline the application. 

The Department’s concern centred on its belief the proposal was inconsistent with the various national and local authority policies covering the coastal area.  It also felt what was being proposed was unnecessary and that the applicant had not shown accessing the boat from the beach or via other means were not viable alternatives. 

The NZHPT withdrew its request to be heard at the hearing after its concerns – which including planning and environmental matters - were addressed. 

In his decision, Mr Farnsworth found that as proposed, the effects of the development would be no more than minor, the proposal was an appropriate use for the site and granting the application would not set a precedent. 

Any new application for a similar proposal would involve its own unique set of factors and would need to be tested “in its own right” to ensure any potential adverse effects could be avoided, lessened or fixed. 

Mr Farnsworth noted all parties to the hearing agreed the area involved had high natural character values and “particular professional care” would be needed to ensure those values weren’t compromised.

“The consent conditions imposed should be seen as the base requirements and that the successful execution of the works required to give effect to the proposal will rely on good professional management and competent supervision.”

He granted consents – to run until the end of 2015 - for dredging and breakwater work linked to the proposal, while consents for the pontoon and walkway themselves will run until mid-2032.

Mr Farnsworth’s decision is now open to appeal by the applicant and/or submitters for 15 working days.