TAKAPUNA ESPLANADE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19143, 8 October 1925, Page 9

TAKAPUNA ESPLANADE.

Sir, —Takapuna Borough, or rather, Milfo tn, is promised an esplanade, "if the f people approve of it." If the report, no ! doubt issuer! from council headquarters, j is correct, the statement that the scheme of a waterfront or beach esplanade on Takapuna foreshores, suggested by j i Mr. Slinger, the borough engineer, is a j | virgin thought in that direction, is incor- j | rect. During my term of office as Mayor, j ;on two occasions I brought forward ; j schemes for foreshore esplanades. Mr. j i Lockie Gannon, who was then the borough j | engineer, schemed out an esplanade for j j Takapuna beach; the then council, and j one that has never since been bettered, 1 for work, approved of it by a majority, j Tn order to illustrate the scheme to the: people of the borough and the owners of riparian rights on Takapuna beach, a sec- | tion of the proposed esplanade was con-; | structed at the end of the beach below i j the Mon Desir Hotel, the owner, Mr. j Andus Raynes, having donated to the j borough the land utilised for the purpose, j This section of the beach during various j tides and winds was invariably covered: with seaweed, that stayed, decayed and j became offensive. A strong concrete wall j was constructed on the beach, the back j portion above the beach terraced and j the portion between filled in, making a ] solid structure and handsome. The owners ] of all frontages to the Takapuna beach j > were called together and the scheme sub- ] mitted to them by Mr. Gannon, Soma were enthusiastic, some half-hearted, but all but one owner, and he a 60ft. section proprietor near Hauraki Road, agreed to the proposal. An undertaking was to be given that the water frontages of the various, owners would not be obstructed beyond the sea-wall, or on the wall, and that every precaution and means j would be taken to preserve the promenade section from vehicular traffic danger, j After much talk, explanation and plan ex- j hibiting, the one owner who objected, | made threats of fencing in 70 links below his then fence, abutting down to the beach and reached by easterly high tides. Then one of the councillors who fought , "against the proposal got. to work and the scheme "fizzled out." Again, with another and weaker council a scheme was proposed some years after, and during j mv term of office. A sea-wall from the j Mon Desir promenade section to the j Strand corner was proposed. The owners of sections on the sea front were called j together. The proposal was to build a j stone wall 20ft. from the then frontages, (he stone to be procured from beside the | old wharf, the owners to pay half the j construction and the council half, a | royalty to be charged per yard for the j metal taken. The 20ft. promenade was to; be rented by the council at a peppercorn j rent for all time, as a fee simple, the j reason for this being an assurance that > no obstructions should be at any time j placed before the properties. The owners ! not only agreed, but started the work, while the councillors came to grips over | the improvement to their beach. The \ work was finished and yet no finality had been reached by the council, and then the scheme was turned down. The property owners immediately shifted their fences to the new frontage above the sea-wall and the promenade was lost to the public. The stone royalty was even lost to the council. These are only two instances where improvements that at the time would have been a small expense, compared with to-day, were turned dow.n and lost. Mr. Lockie Gannon's foresight won for the beautiful borough many valuable presents of comers, etc., and his work stands the acid tests to his' great favour. I sincerely hope that Mr. Slinger's proposals will meet, with a better fate than those fo? beach improvements proposed during my terms of office. Good luck to him. There is one danger that must be avoided, and that is, if the scheme, as suggested, of making an esplanade along the drain pipe-line is carried out every precaution should he taken against beach frontage owners again carrying their fences further seaward. There are some rare greedy ones in Takapuna oa the sea front as wo all know. ,T. W. BX.omfield.