ACCESS TO BEACH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22580, 19 November 1936, Page 12

ACCESS TO BEACH

ST. MARY'S ROAD EXTENSION TO BE MADE FACILITY FOR YACHTSMEN An improvement to the approach to St. Mary's Bay beach which will be greatly appreciated by boating men is shortly to be carried out by the Auckland City Council. This will consist qf the extension of tho formed carriageway of St. Mary's Bay Road from the present dead-end at the top of the bank down to the beach level, which will enable vehicles to be taken down to the vicinity of the yachtsmen's wharf. It is expected that the work will be commenced early in January, but in the meantime it will bo necessary lor the Ponsonby Cruising Club's clubhouse, which now stands on part of the dedicated road, to be removed. From the dead-ond of St. Mary's Bay Road access to the beach is gained by a (light, of steep wooden steps, and, while these suit the purposes of pedestrians, boating men requiring to get heavy gear, engines or batteries down to tho beach have long felt the need for some better approach. Timber and other supplies for boatbuilding establishments on the beach now have to be lowered down tho steep slopo of tho bank, and this is considered inconvenient and irksome. Tho new roadway will bo formed to a width of 40ft. and -will have a grade of 1 in SJ, which is about equal to the grado of Domain Street. It is proposed to form a flat section of the road on the area beside the premises of Messrs. C'ollings and Bell and this will provide a turning place for t/ucks, with possibly parking space for a number of cars.

The work lias been estimated to cost £2500, and part of this will ]ie provided out of a subsidy on the wages of tho labour employed. Tho city engineer, Mr. J. Tyler, stated yesterday that ho had already served notico on tho Ponsonby Cruising Club to remove its clubhouse, and ho hoped to make a start on tho new roadway early in January,