Councils pull pegs on camping ground

The Waiomu Holiday Park camping ground on the western shores of the Coromandel is being closed, a decision that will affect hundreds of holiday-makers who make their annual summer pilgrimage to the area.

Thames Coromandel District Council and Environment Waikato recently met the owners of the camping ground, plus four Albert St property owners in Coromandel township and one further landlord in Thames.

The councils told the affected owners this week that their land was prone to an unacceptably high flood risk and as part of the $28 million Peninsula Project, their property would be "retired".

The Peninsula Project is a joint Government, Environment Waikato and Thames-Coromandel council plan to reduce the impact of flooding in the region. It involves new bridges, flood planes, drains, culverts, and pest control measures.

The first stage of the project focuses on the western side of the peninsula. A further 19 properties in Tararu, Te Puru, Waiomu-Pohue, Tapu and Coromandel have been identified as being potentially retired.

Council will purchase the properties, remove the buildings, and put a stop to future developments on the land.

Thames Coromandel council communications manger Peter Hazael said a "ballpark" figure of $3 million was available for compensation to the 25 immediately affected property owners.

Negotiations over how much each property owner would receive were under way, although it was expected that landowners would need to carry some of the burden, he said.

The owners of the camp-ground would not make any comment when contacted by the Herald yesterday, although one source confirmed the decision had come as a nasty surprise to the husband and wife team.

In June 2002, Auckland woman Dorothy Newall died after being swept away from her caravan at Waiomu Holiday Park during a weather bomb. Environment Waikato put the cost of the storm's damage at $6 million.

District mayor Philippa Barriball said a proposed timetable was being discussed with land owners.