"The public may have concerns."
Mr Ogilvie asked for the names of media and the organisations they represented before confirming he would be happy for the discussions to be held in an open meeting, despite the council having decided to exclude the public for discussion of the lawyer's letter.
Tararua District Mayor Tracey Collis asked how the public would get to the river if access wasn't available.
Mrs Nagel pointed out the public was able to park quite safely on State Highway 2 and walk down to the river.
However, Mr King said he wondered how many motorists would see an area to pull off as they whizzed down the highway and said if the council agreed to close the unformed road it would need to be made clear that the public still had legal access.
"The area of land we are talking about is valued at $4500, so I assume it's under a hectare," he said.
Councillor Jim Crispin said the existence of this particular paper road was "just a nuisance".
Mrs Collis said she would be far more comfortable knowing future generations would not be denied access.
"Give me definite assurances there will be a gate sign telling the public they have access," she said.
The Tararua District Council has a district plan policy which encourages access to rivers and the foreshore, with rights preserved.
In her application, Mrs Nagel proposed the unformed road remain reserve by the river, accessible from the State Highway.
If the council declined the stopping of the road, the Nagels would need to remove their house and any other encroachments.
The original homestead's permission had been issued in 1980 and Mr King said there were two choices for his council.
"We can shut the road or people have to remove buildings, there is no nice way around it."
A second option the council considered was to approve stopping the road.
This was the council's preferred choice, because it had no foreseeable use for the unformed road, with the applicants willing to buy it at valuation.
The third option for the district council was to leave the request to lie on the table pending resolution of a request relating to Bluff Rd, where a house has also been built within the roading corridor.
Councillors resolved to approve the application on behalf of Mrs Nagel to stop the unformed road between their property and State Highway 2, with the proposed plan allowing public access to the Makakahi River.
"It was a good outcome," Mrs Collis told the Dannevirke News.
"The rights of people are protected and Mrs Nagel can get on and sell her property. It was a sensible decision."
Mrs Collis said while this particular access to the river wasn't a popular site, access of this type was important to New Zealanders.