Forrester Heights’ ‘intrinsic value’ stressed

Published date22 April 2022
Publication titleOamaru Mail
This is surprising, to say the least, given that Tourism Waitaki (council-controlled) regularly uses the view from the lookout to promote the town as a tourist destination. I guess they won’t be doing that any more if the view is destroyed by the backside of 20 houses. Forrester Heights is a priceless asset to the town; amenities like this attract people to both visit and move to Oamaru, growing our local economy

The rhetoric of Alex Parmley is obvious to everyone; it’s ‘‘not easy’’ or there are ‘‘real costs’’. Firstly, as Vicki Jayne from Friends of Oamaru Harbour pointed out last week, an Act of Parliament is not required; the land can be retained as a green space simply by asking the minister using the Local Government Act Section 140 and Reserves Act Section 14(1). Secondly, Friends of Oamaru Harbour has offered to establish a Harbour Hill Trust to maintain the site. The re-established (pre-existing) paths on the hill are already in a better condition than most of those that the council itself is meant to maintain around town (just try the Skyline walk).

It is up to the council to use the money it receives from the ratepayers and government for the good of the community. Under a local government information request I was informed that our council spent $2,787,980 (year ending June 30, 2021) and $2,679,161 (year ending June 30, 2020) respectively on consultancy fees. Reducing this consultancy expenditure by a mere 1% would provide enough funds to support more conservation action on the whole of Cape Wanbrow, including Forrester Heights. So, it’s just a matter of priority.

I applaud Mr Kircher’s commitment to maintain biodiversity within our town. To do this, it is absolutely vital that existing established areas are protected. The lookout and Forrester Heights are ecological buffers that protect the Cape as a whole. A housing development encroaching on this area will without doubt cause biodiversity decline; such loss of conservation land cannot be mitigated.

The suggestion by the mayor regarding a green space in the North End is irrelevant to the need to retain those that already exist. It is not an ‘‘either, or’’ situation — if there is a need for another reserve in the North End then I am sure this would be welcomed by us all, but not at the cost of losing the most beautiful view in the whole of Oamaru.

Given that 155 housing consents have been issued in the year ending September, ‘‘the highest since records began’’ (according to the council’s...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT