KEY POINTS:
A senior Samoan minister yesterday pleaded to the Environment Court to preserve the natural state of Long Bay Regional Park, a favourite spot for church groups and families from all parts of Auckland.
The Rev Faleatua T. Faleatua, Methodist superintendent for eight Manukau parishes, said the church joined the Long Bay-Okura Great Park Society in opposing the North Shore City Council's plan to allow a housing development overlooking the park.
"We are just one of the many church groups from south Auckland who regularly use the park at least twice a year," he said.
"Its unspoilt beauty offers a great relaxing outdoor resort for families, groups and the people of Auckland.
"We particularly enjoy the open space because it allows both the aged and the young to hold activities that we all enjoy - without causing concerns for others."
Mr Faleatua said if development were to go ahead without reasonable buffer zones, groups would lose their privacy and soon residents would want restrictions on noise and access.
Groups like his would be forced to abandon use of the park - leaving it to a privileged few.
"We want to continue to have easy access and equal rights to sharing such a precious asset." The park received on average 800,000 visits a year, said the society's convener, Fiona McLaughlin.
She said it was the surroundings of the park that transformed it from being a beachside urban park such as Takapuna Beach into a regional park that was an essential part of Auckland's social infrastructure.
"People go there to escape the city, to have a brief time away from the hustle and bustle in which to refresh themselves."
The type of buffers the society was seeking would result in fewer houses being developed, said the society's lawyer, Martin Williams. The essential question for the court was: "What price 1000 houses?"
Although Long Bay had been earmarked for development it was for the court to say how much land could be used to develop housing and a new town centre. The society asked what price, in terms of highly valued, outstanding natural landscapes, should be paid in order to house people and support a supermarket?
Developer Landco argued that significant effects from its works were outweighed by the economic and urban design benefits it would bring in.
The society believed the company must also set aside land to balance those effects.
It asked the court for a form of zoning which would meet the requirements of sustainable resource management and leave Landco to develop "a substantial residual land holding with considerable amenity value."
Mr Williams said the law's requirements "must be seen to prevail over the aspirations of one particular landowner in the face of what is so clearly the opposition of the wider peoples and communities of the North Shore and Auckland region".
Park buffers
The Great Park Society wants expanded buffers against development to protect:
* Amenity value of the park and marine reserve for the public.
* Special ecological, cultural and heritage features, natural landscape, wetlands, streams and marine reserve.
* Ease of access to the park.
