Group hopeful erosion work can still go ahead

The Clifton Reserve Society is confident it can come up with the information it needs in order to gain permission to carry out temporary erosion protection work to keep the Clifton motor camp operating in the short term.

Society spokeswoman Dionne Thomas said the Hastings District Council had lodged an application to the Hawke's Bay Regional Council for a permit to allow the temporary work. High sea swells in June eroded more land away from the camp, which included severe damage to the only road leading in and out of the site.

"The regional council has come back to us with a few recommendations and a few queries regarding our proposal. We are working through those at the moment.

"It is up to us to come up with a solution that fulfils the requirements of everyone, such as the coastal policy and the regional council's mandate to look after the environment."

Ms Thomas said the society was confident it could come up with the information needed to make the proposal work.

"The regional council is mainly looking at the long-term effects of what we would like to do but we are not looking at the long term, because we would like to go with the Hastings District Council's plan to eventually move over to the number two camp at Clifton.

"That is the long-term plan for us and we would like to keep going at the [number one] Clifton camp to be able to have more time to make that move over."

Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule said the temporary work proposed had not yet been fully priced.

"But the expectation is that the Clifton Reserve Society and Marine Club will fund it.

"We may be approached to help but haven't been yet."