A petition delivered to Thames-Coromandel District Council Mayor Glenn Leach today reinforces elected members' existing stand that all applications for development at New Chum Beach be publicly notified.

Green Party MP Catherine Delahunty and Preserve New Chum for Everyone presented a petition to Thames-Coromandel District at its Thames office, calling for the council to publicly notify any applications for developments on land adjacent to the beach.

Thames-Coromandel District Council Mayor Glenn Leach receives the petition from Green Party MP Catherine Delahunty and Preserve New Chum for Everyone's Linda Cholmondeley-Smith.

Glenn says the public interest and natural values of Wainuiototo [New Chum] beach are so high 'that our elected council has previously stated we wanted all applications for development there to be publicly notified”.

The Mayor also explained to petitioners that at this stage the application is still on hold, awaiting further information from the applicant.

'One thing we'll want to ensure whenever the information comes back to us, is that Third Party interests are looked after and the native flora and fauna, which make New Chum such a special part of the Coromandel, continue to be protected and also remain accessible for everyone to still visit, through the existing walkway,” says Glenn.

Council will also be pushing for a natural buffer zone between the development and the beach.

'This would run the full length of the beach and be maintained by a covenant, potentially through the QEII Trust or TCDC,” says Glenn.

Te Pungapunga Station is land overlooking New Chum Beach, which owner John Darby has applied for a controlled activity resource consent to encompass a subdivision, to create a conservation lot and boundary adjustment between two existing lots.

The resource consent application is also for a house on each of the three lots.

The application was lodged before the Proposed District Plan December 2013 version, which was notified, so is treated as a 'controlled activity” under the rules of the Operative District Plan.

As a controlled activity, under the provisions of the Resource Management Act 1991, council can't refuse the application but can impose certain conditions on the landowner with regard to the development and maintenance of the land and the siting and design of the proposed houses.

In processing the application, the assessment will look at conditions related to the area of land to be covenanted and the visibility and location of the houses, its design and if any planting work has to be done to soften any visual effects of the development.

At this stage the application is currently on hold, awaiting further information from the applicant.

According to TCDC once this information has been received a decision on notification will be made.

The application and all information relating to the application is available for viewing on Councils consent tracker system by clicking here and typing in: RMA2013/275