Letters
February 26, 2016
The Devonport Flagstaff Page 25
Destruction at 84A Vauxhall Rd poorly handled by council The five neighbours of 84A Vauxhall Road deserve to have their say. Since mid-2013, as neighbours they have endured the demolition of a pre-1944 bungalow, the occurrence of unconsented building works, the degradation and partial collapse of the cliff face above Cheltenham beach and are now expected to believe that the proposed new building, with an increased footprint, represents a less than minor infringement. There had been a one-storey bungalow and it is to be replaced with a new build that includes an extensive basement, a ground floor and a dormer second floor for further bedrooms. In the council report the numerous infringements are listed and then each is mitigated as being less than minor. The council appears to be resting its faith in the geotechnical engineering report provided by the applicant.
We urge the council to immediately consult with the affected neighbours and discuss the effects of the comprehensive nature of the changes that are proposed, and get a second opinion regarding the stability of the cliff. To date, council’s approach represents a dismissive attitude in which its independent commissioners and the council staff do not offer the neighbours any assurance or engender any faith that council can make competent decisions. We also ask our local board members to investigate the process followed for this application and report back to the community on why it was not processed on a limited notified basis so that the affected neighbours could be consulted. Trish Deans, Chairperson, Devonport Heritage Inc.
No “crash site” reason for camera on Lake Rd Further to the recent spate of camera van speeding tickets on Lake Rd, this is from the official police web page: “Mobile cameras: Police operate 46 mobile cameras in vans which are deployed to key crash risk sites across New Zealand. The cameras use digital technology and include a radar system that measures vehicle speed and a flash for night time photography. Traffic Camera Operators run the camera equipment from inside the vans and are able to observe any images taken and make adjustments to image quality when required. They cannot alter any of the radar settings or the speed at which a camera system take a photograph. There are currently seven marked and 39 unmarked camera vans.” Key crash risk sites? Surely Lake Rd has one of the lowest crash rates of any suburban road in the country. So why do we deserve such special attention that one of only 39 unmarked camera vans is regularly deployed in our area? Steve Nielsen
ON
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