Submitters favour moving houses off Whanganui's Anzac Pde

Houses in Whanganui's Anzac Pde were flooded in June 2015. Photo / file

Homes in flood-threatened parts of Anzac Pde should be shifted and the land surrendered to nature, a majority of submissions on the subject to Horizons Regional Council say.

Just three people opposed council's proposal to establish a $50,000 per year fund toward moving houses away from the flood zone. Most people - 114 - supported the fund.

In all 487 submissions were made on a range of issues to the council's long term plan with 86 people wanting to speak to the council in person.

Hearings began yesterday, and move to Whanganui on Thursday. The session begins at 9.30am in the Whanganui District Council chamber, and may last until mid afternoon.

Members of the public are welcome.

Flooding issues dominated written submissions with 116 people favouring Horizons spending $10,000 and working with Whanganui District Council to find solutions to flooding on the Taupo Quay side of the Whanganui River. Only two submitters were against that.

The idea of a $1.2 million stopbank to protect Putiki from flooding also found favour, with 93 submitters for and only two against. And 99 submitters agreed with a proposal for Horizons to spend $4.9 million over 30 years on maintaining lower Whanganui River structures such as the north and south moles.

One area where objections outnumbered supporters was council's proposal to amend its name by changing the spelling of Wanganui to Whanganui.

There were 208 submitters against that, versus 104 who supported it.

And it seems a narrow majority of submitters approve of contributing $500,000 per year toward a regional facilities fund to pay for items such as roofing a velodrome. There were 140 willing to contribute $5 a year, and 134 against starting any such fund.

Only four submitters were against Horizons continuing to contribute $230,000 a year toward the region's economic development action plan. Another 245 were willing to contribute, either through rates or through a mix of rates and council reserves.