New row over road plan

Hastings city could find itself "in a real mess" if it allows a plan for eight traffic lights at the entrance of Charter Hall's new Home HQ retail centre.
Hastings man Gordon Vogtherr said Hastings District Council needed to rethink its roading plans for the St Aubyn Street entrance into Home HQ Hastings, the former Nelson Park site.
The council said, however, the lights will be managed as one system and would improve traffic flows through the busy Hastings road.
In 2005, Mr Vogtherr said the road plan would interrupt the city's only four-lane clearway on St Aubyn Street and would also delete an important slip road from St Aubyn Street around to Market St. He said the complicated traffic light system could put in doubt the safety of people using a pedestrian crossings planned outside K-Mart across St Aubyn Street.
"There is such a bunch of complicated traffic lights together with the railway barriers, no right turns and pedestrian crossings. I have christened the Caroline Rd, St Aubyn Street and Russell St intersection, 'Collision Intersection'," Mr Vogtherr told the council in 2005.
This week Mr Vogtherr was keen for the council to update its plans for the intersection or at least inform the public of how it would work.
The issue had erupted for the Hastings man after media reports Charter Hall had not secured anchor tenants for the Home HQ centre.
Mr Vogtherr wrote to the council and suggested the site be purchased from Charter Hall and used as a recreational ground.
"After all, it would only cost around $18 million. It only requires levelling and sowing in grass to become a beautiful open space for the public to enjoy.
"This would then enable the St Aubyn St mess to be avoided and the street to remain the only clearway in Hastings."
Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule said the council would not look at buying back the park. The council was paid $16 million for Nelson Park and the profits had been used to build the new athletics track at Percival Rd.