So Ralph Roberts doesn't want the great unwashed walking in front of properties adjoining Lake Pupuke. What a pathetic attitude in this day and age. You will probably find that if these lakeside properties have been subdivided or cross-leased there is already a 20m esplanade reserve from the lake edge which provides for public access and protection of lakeside vegetation. This is provided by Section 238 of the Resource Management Act 1991, and its predecessor legislation.
The same problem occurred when the former East Coast Bays City Council established its clifftop walkway, which is now a valuable asset for all Aucklanders and used by many of all ages. Adjoining landowners were required to remove illegal swimming pools and fences from the esplanade reserves.
As a former, very successful Takapuna businessman selling electrical appliances to North Shore residents, it is a pity at his age he is showing such a mean-spirited, short-term attitude.
He seems to think there is one rule for him and his mates - advocating strongly for using the foreshore at Takapuna Beach to permanently store their boats on reserve land protected by the Reserves Act 1977, but it is a different story a few hundred metres away at Lake Pupuke. I hope the Auckland Council is ultimately successful in getting a public walkway for my grandchildren around the whole lakeside margin of Lake Pupuke, despite such rhetoric. - Bruce Tubb, Takapuna
PANMURE GOOD EXAMPLE
Your article on Lake Pupuke ("Lakers say game over", May 3) is spot on - it's a perfect place for a walkway right around the lake. Look at what has been done at the Panmure Basin, where people can walk or jog completely around the lake, away from traffic noises and fumes.