Another person has spoken out against the proposed farm park development on Weraiti hill east of Masterton and it now includes a battle with signs. Shane Davies has put up two signs on the Stronvar Road stating: "Farm Park, environmentally friendly? Yeah Right." Mr Davies and his family live at the baseof the hill on the corner of Stronvar and Lees Pakaraka roads. He says he is especially concerned about an increase in traffic on an already busy road and about the environmental impact. He calls the proposal a time bombthat will open the gates to further farm park-style development. "The eventual residents of these developments will not have a real stake in the environment as they will be town-sized sections and will have no input into the 'farm' around them," he said. Mr Davies said he put up the signs to make people aware of some of the issues surrounding the application. "I am making a statement that I will not just sit back and accept what is happening in and around my environment." But no sooner were the signs up than he was ordered by the Masterton District Council, through a Master Roads contractor, to remove them immediately because they did not conform to the district plan. Mr Davies, who said there were other non-conforming signs in the area that did not seem to have attracted council attention, refused to let the contractor on to his property to remove his signs. Mr Davies said he is not anti-progress "but progress at the cost of the environment and the people already living in that environment is not a positive move for the Wairarapa. We risk losing the local hills to mini townships that will scar our skylines forever". He gave the example of the number of slips on Black Rock Road and the distance from which the roads can be seen. "Those that live in the country do so because they want to enjoy country living, run a small farm, having pet lambs, a kids pony, chickens or pigs, none of which the future residents of the development will get to enjoy as the 'section' they will live on will be too small," Mr Davies said. "So the only motivation for them to live there is the views they will command. Is potential damage to our environment worth the cost of a nice view?"
