PHOTO: CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF – Matata residents have been left fuming after their million dollar views have been labelled unliveable by Whakatane District Council (File).
Matata landowners have been left in limbo after a proposal to strip existing use rights over safety concerns was accepted by Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
The landmark decision will see 34 houses and sections lose the right to inhabit their property as part of a voluntary retreat. It is believed to be the first time the Resource Management Act has been used in this manner.
Whakatane District Council lobbied Bay of Plenty Regional Council to consider a plan change that will prohibit residential activity in the Awatarariki Fanhead at Matatā after March 2021. The plan change was suggested after $1.2 million was spent investigating how to mitigate safety concerns to residents unsuccessfully.
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