ARC confirms $2 million for Long Bay Park addition

At full council meeting yesterday afternoon - 14th December - ARC confirmed an earlier Parks Committee meeting to contribute $2 million toward the cost of an additional 4.8 hectares of land at Long Bay Regional Park.

The land area - often known as "Area D" is shown in brown/orange on this map image. Area D is important for two reasons: the first is that it forms part of the backdrop seen when approaching the park by road (shown in the map); second is that the area has a boundary with a special "heritage protection area" which - though privately owned - has been set aside by the Environment Court. It may not be developed for urban purposes because of its heritage values.

The Long Bay Okura Great Park Society has been lobbying tirelessly for the purchase of additional pieces of land at Long Bay to protect existing regional park assets, and to improve public amenity at what is the most popular of Auckland's regional parks. Hundreds of emails were sent to ARC councillors seeking their support for a motion to contribute regional capital to support $5 million committed conditionally by North Shore City Council.

This digitally enhanced image shows Area D to the left, with the heritage protection area ot the right. The view is as you approach Long Bay down the road from Torbay Village. You can see the difference it makes....

Below is the email I sent in reply to the emails I received from Great Park Society members:

Dear xxxx,

Thank you for emailing me about this, and I understand and appreciate how much you – and other supporters of the Great Park Society – care about Long Bay and the Regional Park opportunities that still exist. I appreciate the personal views that you express.

You probably don’t really want to hear about my background in supporting Long Bay, but I want to use this opportunity say a few things. First – as North Shore City Councillor – I supported North Shore City Council initiatives to buy land there. Especially the big purchase that occurred there 7 or 8 eight years ago. At that time I was disappointed in the relatively small purchase that ARC made at the same time – "toe-nail clippings" was how I described the slivers the ARC bought then.

Ironic really. I recall that NSCC decided around 2002 to concentrate its purchase efforts in the North end of the Regional Park, leaving what we saw then as the most important Southern area to ARC, because we believed ARC would know better which pieces to buy there, and also, be in a stronger financial position than NSCC to purchase a substantial stake.

We were wrong. And when I was elected to ARC in 2004 I learned the main reason why. It was generally because ARC took these policy positions:

* Long Bay Regional Park was done. Nothing more to be done.
* ARC needed to concentrate on large regional parkland purchases, rather than buying land which could be seen as urban parks (ie Long Bay was seen by some that way. Ironic really. When ARC first bought land there, there was no urbanisation. Now….!)

I raised arguments like these:

* the backdrop needed protection (it was a major ARC policy that regional parks should be protected from being dominated or overlooked by even one house (eg Pakiri) let alone whole subdivisions)
* it is unsustainable for ARC to only provide large regional parks so far removed from Auckland urban area, that visitors need to drive an hour or more, there and back to enjoy them. Long Bay is obviously enjoyed by many who can access it by public transport, and by mini-vans and other vehicles at relatively low "carbon miles")

Throughout my last 5 years or so on ARC, I have been part of a consistent minority calling for more purchases at Long Bay Regional Park. However, ARC has worked tirelessly for planning controls to reduce the adverse effects of development. This is good but not enough.

One of the major gains of this Resource Management Act legal action has been the establishment of the Heritage Protection Area. I believe there is a compelling case to further protect the public interest in that area – the HPA, for the future, by purchasing some land in the vicinity of Area D. I also appreciate the co-benefit of that piece of land being in public ownership – because it will add to the backdrop effect for those accessing the park from the Torbay end.

So I will be arguing, at the ARC meeting this Wednesday, in support of ARC support for the partnership purchase of land at Area D, with North Shore City Council, and with a Trust which I understand has been set up to further assist. I expect there will be further information presented there, which will assist councillors make the best decision.

Thank you for your actions in leaving no stone unturned to achieve the best public outcomes at Long Bay.

Regards, Joel Cayford
I am pleased to report success, and to claim responsibility for leading the charge at ARC for the level of funding support that was finally agreed.