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In June the New Plymouth District Council approved a new policy aimed at protecting the view shafts that make the area unique.

The Council has now extended the Coastal Buffer Zone along the entire coastline from the Stony River to Mokau. The Coastal Buffer Zone is at least 300 metres wide along the entire coast.

Under the new policy any new sub-division or life-style block will have to be attached to an existing community and no new building within the coastal buffer zone will be permitted to be visible from the foreshore. This policy is totally in line with the New Zealand Coastal Protection Statement.

The Policy is now undergoing final legal checking before being placed out for final public consultation. Implementation is planned for January/February 2010.

The NPDC recognises that the District’s geodiversity is unique and provides outstanding views from the coast to "The Mountain that Lives by The Sea". To maintain this uniqueness the views must be protected.

Big thanks must go to Councillor John [Horse] McLeod and his supporters on the Council who have taken another pro-active step in the protection of our natural heritage.

Now what we need is for other New Zealand Districts such as those in Northland, Bay of Plenty and South Taranaki to realise that permitting hectares of residential dwellings along the coastline will ultimately result in the destruction of the natural values of their districts.