Sides ready for new battle at Cable Bay

A steel and wooden bridge is to link this 50-unit condominium to the foreshore. Picture / John Stone.

Further confrontation appears likely on a Far North beach soon, when contractors try to resume work on building a pedestrian bridge over State Highway 10 to link a condominium development with the foreshore at Cable Bay.

An Environment Court ruling in April removed a time limit on access to the beach, during which the footbridge could be built and contractors say they can now start work when it suits them.

Bridge opponents say they were unaware of the court ruling overturning a Northland Regional Council-imposed time constraint expiring today in a consent allowing machinery and equipment access to Cable Bay beach for bridge construction.

The ruling means the consent is open-ended in terms of timing but objectors say they remain opposed to any footbridge and are organising "non-violent direct action" to stop the construction.

The planned steel and wooden bridge, 6.3 metres above the highway, is being built by McBreen Jenkins Construction and GHK Piling to link a $50 million 50-unit condominium being built on a hillside above Cable Bay with the beach below. It will also be for public use.

The community's objections arise from the Far North District Council's decision not to publicly notify the project before approving the bridge.

Objectors say it will be visually and environmentally intrusive on a near-pristine, pohutukawa lined part of the beach.

There was no community or iwi consultation undertaken by the council before work started last October.

That work stopped after confrontation on the beach involving objectors, contractors and police. A contractors' beach access consent later issued by a regional council commissioner stipulated work could resume only between late February and June 1 this year.

But Crystal Waters' Auckland-based developer Chris Hook says there is a general acceptance that the bridge will be built.

"There's no great pressure as to when but we'd like it by the end of this year... there's no time constraint now and no June 1 (consent date) expiry."

Mark Allan, chief executive of McBreen Jenkins Construction in Whangarei, says work will resume on the footbridge "when we think we're ready to go ahead".

Mr Allan says ongoing discussions were "addressing concerns" police in Kaitaia had about the bridge.

Senior Sergeant Gordon Gunn, officer in charge of Kaitaia police, would not comment on the issue.

Spokesman for the community-based Beach Watch Network, Alec Morgan, says the group is still opposed to any bridge being built.

"As soon as there are indications that work is about to start, people will be on the beach.

"There will be peaceful protests and non-violent direct action aimed at stopping the bridge from being built."

The group is testing its "telephone tree" network this week, used previously to alert people to what was happening on the beach.

Mr Morgan says one positive sign is that Transit is considering a pedestrian crossing on the highway at Cable Bay, together with a lower speed limit through the area.

Objectors believe this is one alternative to building a footbridge to provide for pedestrian safety in getting onto the beach.