Highway proposal rejected

A Hastings motorway which has been in the pipeline for more than 30 years has been given the thumbs down, primarily because it would cut through Maori land on the outskirts of the city.
Hastings District Council was disappointed independent commissioners declined the Northern Arterial Route (NAR), a 7.5km link between the Hawke's Bay Expressway and Havelock North.
The commissioners, in their decision released today, said the council could build a section of the motorway, from Evenden Rd, through the Hawke's Bay Showgrounds, to Karamu Rd.
But continuing the route through Maori land near Waipatu and on to Crosses Rd into Havelock North was out of the question.
"The commissioners think there is significant cultural issues in the Maori land if it should be severed," Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule said.
The council would now decide whether to appeal the decision to the Environment Court or move ahead with plans to build only part of the new road.
It was a matter on the agenda of this afternoon's council meeting but a decision on an appeal was still some days away, Mr Yule said.
Building the Evenden Rd to Karamu Rd section would require a new plan from the council as well as funding, which provided another stumbling block.
"The Government, in their national roading funding, had pushed the NAR further down the list which was disappointing because it had been identified as the number one priority," Mr Yule said.
"We may have to look at other alternative routes but we have already done that. We've probably looked at about 20 other routes and every time it comes back with this one."
Intense planning work on the route alternatives had been under taken in the past two years.
"Since then the price of materials has gone up and the cost of the road has probably gone from about $7m to $17m," he said.
Part of the road's appeal was a direct link to bring Havelock North people to the Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Park.
"It might make it harder for people from Havelock to get to the sports park but it won't have any significant impact on the park," Mr Yule said.
The commissioners had taken 16 months to make their decision, after the initial hearing was held in Hastings and at Waipatu Marae in May 2008.
Families connected to Waipatu had told commissioners they were reluctant for any Maori-owned land to be used for developments.
They had also considered the impacts of the road on the rural land, which opponents said was some of the best quality soils in the world.