Monday 12th April. 7.30pm Dux de Lux. Pool Room.
Special meeting to finalise Club position re Jardines Moorings Proposal + afterwards.. End of Season Social ….pizzas, cheap drinks, cool DVD’s…
Hi all,
The Meeting……
1. Background. As you are all aware there is a proposal to put in a Mooring Buoy into Jardines Bay. The proposal is for a 12m boat to be used during ‘extended periods of good weather’. The area is zoned Boating Facility Area,
” (n) Boating Facility Area BFA- the use of this area is limited to a double boat ramp, jetty, a weather protection feature, a boat shed and associated boat/trailer/car parking and public facilities, provided that all facilities are available for public use” (District Plan; Resort Zone Rules. Jacks Point Special Zone. Section 12).
You will note that this does not include moorings, in fact the other facilities included are more land based as opposed to an obstruction in the water. In addition there is a very clear focus on ‘public facilities’ available to all as opposed to private facilities.
2. Lack of Initial Consultation. The application was put in Sept 09, there is no mention in the report on “Assessment of the Effects” of the impact on the club, despite the signage on site clearly showing we use the area. The Harbour Master in commenting on the issue stated there were no safety issues and failed to notify or consult the club. In fact the first the club knew about the proposal was in Jan. this year.
3. Consultation since January. The club immediately registered our interest with Lakes Environmental who agreed that we are affected by the proposal. They suggested that either the applicant needed to make a compromise with the club over the positioning or the matter would end up at an official Hearing. The club met with the applicant and have been liaising with his planners since. The club have continuously proposed an upwind position (I’ve called this E for Exec.) which has been rejected by the applicant. The applicant moved to amended position B1 which the club tested on the water and found unsatisfactory.
4. The On Water Testing Session. The club asked the applicant to put in a buoy for us to test. Despite many reminders they chose not to do this thus we put one in ourselves. We had an “on-the-water testing” session on Sat 27th March, when the club put in a buoy at Jardines with a trailing float rope to represent the length of the boat concerned for the mooring application. I have attached some photos from this testing session. Despite the shoprt notice there were at least 17 sailors there of whom the vast majority commented that position B1. mooring was still a safety issue and adopted the position of supporting the Club Exec in asking for the Mooring Buoy to be placed further upwind (ie further South of the Kiters launch area, past the fence line).
5. Update/ Now. The Jardines have made it clear they wish us to find a compromise. Lakes Environmental have made it clear they consider a Mooring to be within the general ethos of this zone but agree our safety is an issue so the location must be carefully considered. Following our testing session the applicant has proposed another option B2 which is a little nearer the shore (see attached map), but again rejected an upwind option.
We now need to decide whether to accept option B2 or to continue to fight for an upwind position even if it means going to a Hearing. It should be noted that this is probably the thin edge of the wedge, the area is zoned as Boating Facility Area and there has been talk that the applicant is planning a marina for the area. It is therefore crucial that we consider this very carefully and set the correct precedent for our future safety and use of the area. So do please make an effort to come to the meeting and express your views. If you cannot make it but wish to vote on the issue please send Sue an email before 5pm on Monday with your comments about the vairious options on the map..
The Social….
As all of this is rather serious, we’d like to combine it with a bit more fun and an end of season social ! So we’ve arranged for an end of season social to follow the meeting. There’ll be cheap drinks and the Club are putting up some money for free pizzas, in addition we’ll have some of the latest cool windsurf and kitesurf DVD’s to show. The meeting will be held in the pool room from 7.30-8.30 only club members will be allowed to vote, but after friends and partners are welcome to join us for the social and DVD’s.
Hope to see you there ! All the best and contact for further queries,
Sue Bradley, Club Sec.
027 640 8596.
Enc;
Map showing position A, (original proposal ); Position B1 (tested on 27/3/10); New proposal position B2; Position E, (Club Exec suggestion).
Photos from the testing of position B1 on 27/3/10.
