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Home / New Zealand

'Someone's going to get hurt': Neighbours fume at Marewa Park gate change

By Shannon Johnstone
Hawkes Bay Today·
3 Feb, 2020 05:00 PM4 mins to read

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Teresa Murphy says council's plan to build a gate adjacent to her garage bordering Marewa Park will pose safety risks to children playing on the street. Photo Warren Buckland

Teresa Murphy says council's plan to build a gate adjacent to her garage bordering Marewa Park will pose safety risks to children playing on the street. Photo Warren Buckland

A mother who lives beside where Napier City Council has proposed a new gate for vehicles into Marewa Park fears for the safety of her child as a result.

The gate, a few metres left of an existing gate, will mean council vehicles and mowers will drive directly in front of Teresa Murphy's garage.

In August 2018 she was informed of the proposal by a neighbour who had spoken to a council worker.

She says her 6-year-old son Beau uses the garage door to exit their house and plays in the area with other children in the neighbourhood.

"My primary concern is my son," she said.

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"It's a safe cul-de-sac, he plays with the children in the neighbourhood outside our house where parents can keep an eye on them."

She is also concerned about the safety of park users who might be walking or biking through the gate when she backs out of her garage.

Teresa Murphy says council's plan to build a gate adjacent to her garage bordering Marewa Park will pose safety risks to children playing on the street. Photo Warren Buckland
Teresa Murphy says council's plan to build a gate adjacent to her garage bordering Marewa Park will pose safety risks to children playing on the street. Photo Warren Buckland

She said the existing gate had never been an issue in the 12 years she had lived at the house.

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A Napier City Council spokesperson said the new gate was proposed because "parking and access from Henry Hill St functionally had some issues" which were identified during the playground upgrade.

Council said service vehicles travelling across access to the toilet block, playground and park area when using the current gate were issues of concern.

"The gate will ensure that our team minimises the places where they are crossing pedestrian routes and ensure our vehicles are kept away from the playground."

The new gate would not affect any of the park's gum trees, which was important because "there are very few trees of significance in the area".

A Marewa Park access gate is set to be installed adjacent to Teresa Murphy's garage at, a few metres left from the existing access gate. Photo / Google
A Marewa Park access gate is set to be installed adjacent to Teresa Murphy's garage at, a few metres left from the existing access gate. Photo / Google

The council spokesperson said Murphy was informed of the reasons for the gate at an on-site meeting which occurred following her complaint to council in August 2018.

Yet Murphy said neither she nor her neighbours had been consulted over the proposed change and sent a petition to Mayor Kirsten Wise stating that neighbours had not been notified on December 9, 2019.

The council spokesperson said council had not received the petition.

"The biggest thing is the lack of consultation, none of us [neighbours] knew this was happening," Murphy said.

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A council spokesperson said the neighbours were not consulted specifically about a number of issues that were deemed to be "more operational".

Neighbour Paul Palamountain, who signed the petition, said they were unaware of the new gate until Murphy informed them of the proposed changes.

"There's children there and homes all around as well as people parking coming and going, it's only a matter of time until an accident," Palamountain said.

A council gate is set to be installed where the shorter fence currently sits next to the area Teresa Murphy uses to back out of her garage. Photo / Warren Buckland
A council gate is set to be installed where the shorter fence currently sits next to the area Teresa Murphy uses to back out of her garage. Photo / Warren Buckland

"Someone's going to get hurt.

"If there was an emergency and there was a car parked outside that gate, she wouldn't be able to get out, what happens then?"

Both Palamountain and Murphy are unsure why another gate is needed as there are two vehicle access points on Herrick St on the opposite side of the park.

Murphy said she has not been informed about how the gate will open but was told it will be 3.66m high and around 4m long.

She has had no information about when they intend to start work on the gate.

Originally, council had proposed to install bollards where the fence is.

After speaking with Murphy, who wanted the fence to remain, the council decided a gate was a safer option with bollards next to the gate.

"Council would not normally do this but believe this to be appropriate in this location," the spokesperson said.

Council said the location chosen for the new gate was the best to avoid conflict between vehicles and park users.

"Given the low level of vehicular use this gate will get, conflicts between the resident's vehicles and park vehicles were considered to be unlikely," the spokesperson said.

"We are confident that our designers and traffic engineers have a solution that will ensure the safety of all users. As always, we are happy to continue to monitor how this is working once it has been completed."

Council said they would be using the gate 2-3 times a week which was a "very limited extent when compared to any other driveway in Napier," the spokesperson said.

Murphy said utes, a tractor and ride on mowers came into the park often via the existing access point on the street.

"My neighbour has seen them coming in up to twice a day sometimes."

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