Comments on: Making a silk purse into a sow’s ear

By: Graeme & Lorraine Thompson

Graeme & Lorraine Thompson — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:54:51 +0000

We wish to speak in support of Andy Coltart and his development on the Tuki Tuki River. What was the river, just a river, but the developments have made an ordinary old scene look better, have made the river look more appealing because the architecture is classy, If it wasn’t for the developers taking risks the Bay wouldn’t be as appealing and all the people who benefit from the tourism and visitors would miss out.
The harrassment by some locals is costing landowners who need that capital to carry on farming.

By: jon eames

jon eames — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:15:10 +0000

Andy Coltart develops with taste ,but as with all developers they never know when enoughis enough
I have lived on the banks of the Tuki for 11 years & the flow of the river continues to drop,although I’m sure the regional council measuring station would disagree,after granting consent to a dairy farm upstream!!!
To back my claim ,one of Coltart’s developments on the Tuki has had there bore run dry twice .Once apparently the compacting of the access road was the problem,the second?,one wonders .
Where did Mr Coltart get water for these properties in the meantime??,
Another subdivison, outside of the bloody myopic HDC zones,who obviously dont give a toss about Hawkes Bay development ,is another drain on the Tuki & will .with climate change ,turn it into a dribble.

By: Mark Sweet`

Mark Sweet` — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:55:56 +0000

The landscape of the Tukituki river valley is under serious assault and not only from Andy Coltart’s latest venture. The subdivision above the Elsthorpe/Waimarama Rd turnoff is requiring massive earthworks and despoiling the character of the land, as will the proposed housing on Craggy Range.

At the present rate of development we can expect to see the entire valley ‘gentrified’ by lifestyle blocks. And when it comes time for the inheritors of Tom Couper’s land, under the peak opposite Craggy Range Winery, to ‘cash up,’ the precedent will have been firmly set and unstoppable. Perhaps in time the other big landowners whose large tracts of farm afford spectacular landscapes will be forced into subdivision, with houses plonked on hill tops, and a patchwork of sections replacing the wide open spaces.

The landscape destruction of Hawke’s Bay is well under way. Very little time remains to preserve what we have left, and if HDC is so spineless to defer to smooth talking developers by not enforcing land protection at their disposal we need new blood in Council who will lobby for the preservation of our unique landscape.

By: David Bosley

David Bosley — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:42:58 +0000

The Hastings District Council’s ravenous appetite for development & building fees. Demonstrates its mainly money counts!