Tora subdivision consent sought

A proposal to subdivide coastal land at Tora on the eastern Wairarapa coast is now in the public arena and will be decided after the time for submissions has expired.
The Blue Water Trust has sought Resource Consent from South Wairarapa District Council to create two lifestyle-type blocks on land at Little Oroi, near Tora, to amalgamate a further area of just over 1ha back to an original farming title and to subdivide off a further 1ha containing a crayfish storage shed and fishing equipment shed as a separate block for possible sale to a commercial fishing business.
Both lifestyle sections will be over the required minimum size of 4ha, to comply with the new Wairarapa Combined District Plan. The decision on whether to allow the subdivision, or not, will be made by the Hearings Committee of South Wairarapa District Council.
In a report prepared for the council Stu Clark, representing the Blue Water Trust, said although the subdivision area abuts the start of a long length of relatively undeveloped coastline the land itself is quite extensively developed.
"There are sporadic dwellings along both sides of the Tora Farm Settlement Road leading up to the subdivision area."
He said in the vicinity of some of the lots are numerous buildings, offices, crayfish holding sheds, a shearing shed, stock holding pens, neighbouring houses and a Upper Hutt Cosmopolitan Club rooms.
There were natural wetlands below the road that were recognised as having ecological value and these would be protected with covenants protecting the plants and banning development of those areas.
Mr Clark said the Department of Conservation had reviewed the draft proposal and had generally approved the placing of the covenants.
On two of the lots there were remnants of old kumara beds and there was a pa site to the west of Karaka Grove, on the steep slopes of an adjoining property.
Two archeological assessments and a cultural impact study had been done and key recommendations that arose from these were acceptable to the trust. These included prohibition of any earthworks near archeological sites or waahi tapu and for an existing urupa (Maori burial ground) to be protected by a no-build buffer zone.
The management of all covenanted areas was to be shared with tangata whenua and any discharges of effluent or wastewater was to be to land and not to any waterway.