A company which riled a Ruakaka resident with a plan to drive heavy vehicles across a reserve has applied for 310 more crossings of the park each week.
But the application from Marsden Maritime Holdings - which wants to use the Marsden Cove reserve to access a boat maintenance facility planned for an adjacent site - will be put on hold while the district council decides what the primary use of the reserve should be.
MMH chief executive Graham Wallace said the initial consent for an easement catering for 40 vehicle movements each week across the Rauiri Drive reserve was misinterpreted by the council, meaning his company immediately requested an additional 310 crossing per week - likely to be staff cars. The 15m wide easement was at one end of the 67,000sq m reserve and would take up 1896sq m.
The reserve was set aside as a recreational reserve, though had not been formally designated as such. Whangarei District councillors will discuss the matter at their meeting today and looked set to consult with the public on making the area a local purpose reserve, facilitating MMH's easement application.
Ruakaka resident Margaret Hicks had submitted against the previous application, saying it would compromise the under-used park's future potential. Mr Wallace said he was hopeful the designation process would work out in the company's favour. The boat maintenance facility would create jobs, he said.
