Green light for motorcamp seawall

Dionne Thomas and Bob Pollock hope work on a new seawall will begin this year to protect Clifton Motorcamp. Photo / Paul Taylor

Clifton Motorcamp has permission to build a wall to protect it against sea erosion but how much it will cost and who will pay are two factors yet to be determined.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council announced it had granted resource consent to Hastings District Council for a temporary seawall to be constructed at the motorcamp, run by the Clifton Reserve Society.

The resource consent was for five years, as applied for by the Hastings council on behalf of the society. It would allow time for the Hastings council to work with the society to decide future management options. The long-term plan was to move out of Clifton and establish a new motorcamp nearby, a development which could cost up to $1 million.

Clifton Reserve Society co-chairwoman Dionne Thomas said she was happy to hear the consent had been granted.

"It gives us time to think really, if we can get this temporary protection put in, it's going to give us time to look at all the options for the future."

Ms Thomas said the camp had the same capacity as last summer but the main problem was the only road access was damaged by sea erosion. "Historically, we have lost about 40 sites inside the camp over a five-year period. But we haven't lost any sites since last year, it's just the access way that's been damaged."

She said the society was working through the funding options with the council. "We have to work out how this is going to be funded and once we have got that secured, we will be into the work.

"We have got a year to use the consent and we're certain the work will get under way this year; we still have three or four months to go before summer."

The society had already started work on repairing the access road and hoped it would be in an improved condition within a month.

"We are certainly happy that we've got the consent. It has taken its toll on us and the camp.

"We have invested a lot of money in the last few months trying to remedy what the sea erosion has done but at least we are now stepping in the right direction."

Hastings mayor Lawrence Yule said quotes to build the wall ranged from $170,000 to $300,000. "At the moment we [council] are being asked to fund it but we are looking at a way where we can get the money back from users of the camp site, that is, the society and the Clifton Marine Club."

Saving the boat ramp inside the camp, operated by the marine club, was critical because it enabled vessels to be launched for search and rescue operations.

"The council is committed to this, particularly to preserve the boat ramp ... if the ramp was not there, it would be unlikely we'd be doing this."