Monday, 31 October 2011
Saturday, 29 October 2011
Sand Canyon & Puppies
Above: Back Beach Brighton beach a few days ago, by a stormwater outfall pipe. This small stretch of beach is the only place on the south coast that holds this rich golden sand.
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Proposed Management Options for Ocean Beach
Proposed Management Options for Ocean Beach
Closes: 25/11/2011
In 2008, the Council appointed a Project Team to gather data and consider management options for Ocean Beach. This followed significant erosion on the beach in June/July 2007, the DCC’s replenishment of sand on the beach and other remedial works as part of a now established ‘holding pattern’, and a comprehensive consultation process. Since then the Project Team has gathered and analysed that data and completed a risk assessment process. It has now identified proposed management options for Ocean Beach, taking into account the existing processes and risks.
A report from Tonkin & Taylor dated October 2011 entitled: ‘Ocean Beach, Coastal Issues and Options’, sets out preferred options for managing the area using an adaptive management approach. The report is available for inspection at the DCC’s Customer Services Centre and Libraries from Tuesday 25 October during their ordinary opening hours. A summary of intent and submission forms are also available. The information, plus background material on erosion at Ocean Beach, can be found at www.dunedin.govt.nz/consultation.
Submissions must be received by 5.00 pm on Friday 25 November. Hearing dates have been scheduled for Tuesday 31 January to Thursday 2 February 2012. Please state in your submission whether or not you wish to be heard.
Consultation documents
- Public Notice (PDF, 21.5 KB, new window)This document is a pdf copy of the Public Notice for Proposed Management Option for Ocean Beach consultation.
- Tonkin and Taylor Report (PDF, 3.8 MB, new window)This report summarises the existing and potential future situation. It also describes a range of potential generic options to address the shoreline erosion.
- Statement of Intent (PDF, 1.7 MB, new window)The Statement of Intent outlines management options for Ocean Beach and summarises the Tonkin and Taylor report.
- Impact of Scenarios on Ocean Beach Domain (PDF, 463.6 KB, new window)this map shows the impact of Scenarios on Ocean Beach Domain.
- Managed retreat sandy backdune (PDF, 1.2 MB, new window)This illustration shows the managed retreat with sandy backdune.
- Reshaped dune marram foredune (PDF, 1.2 MB, new window)This illustration shows the reshaped dune with marram foredune.
- Slideshow Stakeholders Meeting (PDF, 4.6 MB, new window)This is a pdf of the slideshow presentation to the stakeholders meeting.
- Submission Form (PDF, 23.3 KB, new window)This document can be used to make a submission regarding the Proposed Management Options for Ocean Beach.
Consultation details
| Closing date | 25/11/2011 |
|---|---|
| Contact person | Business Development Team Leader |
| Public feedback |
|
| Public meetings | The public meeting is to be held on Monday 7 November 2011 at 7.00 pm. The venue is the Port Otago Room, first floor, Edgar Centre, corner Portsmouth Drive and Teviot Street. All interested members of the public are cordially invited to attend. A summary of the options and submission forms will also be available at the meeting . |
Sunday, 23 October 2011
The first ever International Symposium on the Protection of Waves
The international conference on Wave Protection takes place in two of the most beautiful destinations on the planet: Biarritz, France and San Sebastian-Donostia.
This will be a meeting of the minds to discuss how to protect surfing coastlines worldwide from the effects of climate changeand the impacts of increasing populations flocking to the coast.
What Is The Value Of Waves?
Various initiatives for the preservation of the waves are conducted internationally. Therefore NGOs Surfers Against Sewage, Surfrider Foundation, Save the Waves Coalition, Salvem O Surf, with scientific support of Dr Tony Butt, organize a major international conference on the recognition of the value of the waves and their protection in the world.
While the coasts are attracting more and more people and territories seek to protect against the effects of climatic disorder, conservation of surfing waves is becoming a major issue on many coastlines.
The genesis of the waves comes from the alignment of multiple environmental factors, themselves relatively uncertain. This feature is responsible for vulnerability to any change in the environment that characterizes the waves.
This is why many surf spots have now been altered. Some even disappeared. There are several types of threats that can cause the disappearance of a wave.
Against this backdrop, the challenge for the surfing community is to highlight the fact that the presence of a wave exceeds the notion of pleasure it can bring to surfers. The objective is to characterize what are the economic, social and environmental values of a surf zone to a coastal area.
1. How Do You Define The Value of a Wave, and by Extension, of Nature?
2. What Are the Threats Facing the Waves?
3. Which Strategies Can Be Put into Place to Protect them?
These three questions will be at the centre of the conferences that take place on the two days.
To answer them, Surfers Against Sewage from the United Kingdom, Save the Waves Coalition based in Northern California, WiLDCOAST from Mexico,
Surfbreak Protection Society coming from New Zealand,National Surfing Reserves from Australia, Portugal'sSalvem O Surf (…) and of course branches of the international Surfrider network (Australia, Argentina, Europe, Japan, Morocco, United States…) will all come together.
Representatives of the political and scientific worlds, joined by engineers specializing in coastal development, will discuss the issues surrounding waves within their respective areas of expertise.
Through a series of lectures and roundtable discussions, during which various experts will attempt to answer these questions, this event is the first major opportunity to offer the public an international panorama of reflections made in this area. This event will be considered as a success if:
We manage to use this exchange as a platform to discuss our larger goals as a global community of activists dedicated to wave protection. As such, we would like to introduce the idea of a global network of wave protection.
We are able to demonstrate a shared vision and how to continue the collaboration of all stakeholders in the future.
Potentially develop a joint conference statement on wave protection to set the stage for work plan for a future wave conference. Other ideas or initiatives can emerge, for instance to have the waves and surfing recognized as a worldwide natural heritage for mankind.
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
Swell restaurant sold in $1m deal
Swell restaurant sold in $1m deal
The purchaser is understood to be Thai restaurant chain operator Murray Macarthy, but he did not return calls yesterday.
A decade ago, Mr Macarthy bought and demolished the nearby St Clair dairy, sandwiched between the Metropole and Hydro buildings within the Esplanade block, but the section has since lain bare.
When spoken to in March, Mr Macarthy was operating 12 Thai restaurants and had no plans to sell the vacant St Clair section.
After being bought out in March of his share of the construction of the new St Clair Beach Resort boutique hotel in the Esplanade block, Mr Chittock next put his remaining property assets in the block up for sale in June.
In early August, Mr Chittock placed his companies in voluntary administration, as part of an attempt to attract new equity investors, but nothing transpired.
However, amid reports his liabilities stood at $5 million against assets of $5 million, Mr Chittock's refinancing options began to unravel.
South Canterbury Finance's receivers were identified as the largest creditor, owed $1.5 million, and the receivers exercised their right to place his companies - White Island Investments, White Island Properties and St Clair Village Hotels - in receivership. The voluntary administrators withdrew from proceedings last week.
Mr Chittock's properties for sale have a combined value of $4.4 million and cover a total 2739sq m footprint, made up of the seven-unit Esplanade Motels and Apartments complex, Swell restaurant and three private residences. One of the houses sold for about $400,000 recently.
Mr Chittock had previously driven an Esplanade rezoning change to allow small scale commercial outlets. He was understood to have paid about $1.3 million for the Swell house, which cost a further $400,000 to redevelop into the restaurant.
Insolvency Management Ltd of Dunedin is overseeing receivership of the three companies.
When contacted yesterday, about where the proceeds of the more than $1 million Swell sale and $400,000 house would go, Iain Nellies said the money would be distributed to secured creditors, such as the mortgage holder and secured business creditors. The receivers' first report is not due to be released until next month.
Colliers International has been marketing Mr Chittock's Esplanade property assets.
Contacted yesterday, Stephen Cairns, of Colliers in Dunedin, said there were separate offers on the residential house beside Swell and also another in Bedford St, while the real estate company was "in talks with several parties" over a possible sale of the motel block.
From the early 2000s, companies of Mr Chittock's purchased or held interests in up to nine of 16 properties (five commercial and 11 residential) within the Esplanade block.
After redeveloping the 12-apartment Majestic Mansions block in Bedford St, he sold the complex in March 2009 for an undisclosed sum.
Sunday, 16 October 2011
Aramoana Paddle Out - October 16th at 12 noon
16th October at 12 noon 85 surfers paddled out at The Spit beach Aramoana to form a circle of celebration for the Aramoana/Spit wave.
A video is being produced, published this week sometime.