Rail link supporter made to sign off by council

A battle has been lost in the struggle to save Northland's rail link, but the war wages on.

Rail supporter Keith Clapham erected a sign on his Ruakaka farm encouraging all who saw it to "Build the Marsden rail link NOW!".

Mr Clapham's farm borders State Highway 1 and he soon received a letter from the Whangarei District Council (WDC) telling him to apply for a consent, at a cost of $1500, or take it down.

Not having a spare $1500 handy, Mr Clapham conceded the point and took the sign down on Saturday, but he's not happy about it.

"They're enforcing the bylaw but in the same token other signs are put up but obviously they're paid for so we're getting mixed messages here because signs are allowed to be put up in full view of traffic but they're paid for."

Mr Clapham said he believed the council's rules about signs were just about making money.

WDC regulatory compliance team leader Gary Barnsley said the council had an agreement with the New Zealand Transport Agency to regulate signs which are placed on private properties along state highways and which are visible from the highway.

"The NZTA has quite strict criteria for signs on roadsides along state highways," Mr Barnsley said.

"If a person applies for a Land Use Resource Consent for any sign visible from a state highway, we are required to seek NZTA approval before we can provide consent for the sign."

Mr Clapham's sign will be used as a backdrop at a pro-rail public meeting tonight at Forum North.

The meeting, which begins at 7pm, will hear from the chairman of the Northland Regional Council Craig Brown, Green Party MP Gareth Hughes, Labour Party MP Kelvin Davis and others.

The Whangarei-Auckland railway line could be mothballed indefinitely from next year.