Jim Anderton as Mayor would tackle Lyttelton marina woes

Jim Anderton, the People's Mayor candidate in Christchurch's October council elections, wants to see a resolution to the ongoing woes of Lyttelton's recreational marina.

Magazine Bay Marina has been left in decline for over a decade since its breakwater was removed. Many recreational boat owners are unable to insure their vessels, which have no protection from the fierce southerly winds that blow across the harbour from Gebbies Pass. Currently, many Christchurch boat owners are inconvenienced by mooring their boats in Picton.

Jim Anderton said, "This long sorry saga has gone on for far too long.  Boat owners have been let down badly by the council over the years. If I'm elected Mayor, I want to work with boat owners, the people of Lyttelton and its port company to provide an urgent and long term solution that is sustainable in terms of local environment, jobs, recreation and the economy.

"This council has shown it has no enthusiasm or inclination to take the actions required to develop the Marina. Instead it has repeatedly been sidetracked by looking to develop apartments when it was obvious to anyone that the proximity of the oil terminal would not make such a development a practical solution".

Lyttelton Port Company (LPC) recently announced it intends to redevelop the Inner Harbour and provide more berths for yachts and launches over the next 30 years. Whilst LPC's proposals are a step in the right direction, The Naval Point Club maintains the LPC development will not benefit smaller craft such as sailing dinghies, waka, kayaks and small power boats that use Magazine Bay area.

The main requirement for recreational boat users is to build a breakwater to protect Magazine Bay. Quotes obtained indicate that $3 million would provide sufficient protection for the existing marina structure, with a further $2.5 million required to protect the entire bay.

A recent statement from Mayor Bob Parker about waiting to hear from Naval Point has been refuted by the Club. The Council has not met with the Club since the working party's demise after nearly three years of inaction.

"Some leadership is required to bring the interested parties together. An achievable solution is to improve the breakwaters as soon as possible, with costs met by charging moorage fees to the boat owners. No one is asking ratepayers to stump up for the bill," Jim Anderton said.

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