Consent application for Hokitika beach access rejected

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from The Press

From local democracy reporter Brendon McMahon:

Application for consent to build new beach access to the Hokitika beachfront has been rejected by the West Coast Regional Council at this stage.

And the dispute over a $90,000 claim the Westland District Council believes it has with the regional council to contribute to the access project has not been settled.

The proposal to improve access over the rock seawall off the end of Weld Lane was put forward in the Westland District Council's 2020-21 annual plan.

But it has been bogged down after the regional council baulked at a $90,000 invoice it received from the Westland council for its 'share'.

Westland's chief executive Simon Bastion told his council in December the bill was still under discussion.

Westland's district assets group manager Scott Baxendale said this week there was still no start date for the work, after the council had earlier indicated it would be under way by now.

However, they would soon be engaging with the regional council as consent holders for the wall.

"We are still working through the consenting requirements regarding the beach access," Baxendale said.

The district council was commissioning a project manager to move the project on, including gaining the appropriate consents.

Meanwhile, the disputed invoice was "not resolved", he said.

Regional council acting consents and compliance manager Rachel Clark said the Westland council had lodged a consent application late last year relating to ramp access at the beach.

But it had been rejected by the regional council's consultant due to a lack of supporting information with the application.

Clark said they had not received anything further yet from Westland.

Chief executive Heather Mabin said Westland had still been "unable to produce evidence" that the regional council had agreed to partially fund the district council's beach access project.

A forensic search by the regional council of files for any evidence of an agreement about the $90,000 had turned up nought last year.

"[Westland chief executive] Simon Bastion has been unable to produce any evidence or any agreement," she said.

"I have let Simon know we will not be paying an invoice for $90,000."

Mabin said it would simply be "not prudent" to cough up, noting that the Westland bill equated to a $4.50 cost per rating unit, "to build a beach access we haven't officially agreed to".

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