Council to get blunt message on marina | Canterbury Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Canterbury

Yachties and boaties get the chance soon to tell the new city council Lyttelton marina working party what they want.

The council set up the working party to tackle the marina and related projects last month. It has talked to the Port Co and Auckland property developer Covington.

Next week it meets the marina receivers, and then it plans to meet boaties.

"At the end of the day we need to hear from them," says chairwoman Gail Sheriff. "They are the people on the ground and they are the people who are going to be using it."

However, she said the party had not discussed yet how it would meet boating representatives. It would do that at its next meeting on Monday. "As long as we cover all bases," she said.

Whoever it meets from the yachting and boating community, the working party it also includes local councillor Bob Parker, Barry Corbett, and community board chair Claudia Reid will get a simple message.

Yachties and boaties are unambiguous about what they want breakwaters as soon as possible to create a safe boat harbour.

They say that is essential before the multi-million apartments-shops-marina development envisaged by Covington and the council goes ahead.

"Our priority has always been not a grand scheme, just get some protection," says Naval Point Club secretary Ken Camp.

If a breakwater was put in, the rest would follow, he said.

"The problem is no one wants to put their hand in their pocket for a breakwater, Covingtons included, and the council does not seem to want to do it before anything else happens," Camp said.

However, boaties feel it should be No.1. They believe breakwaters, which would enclose the public boat ramp, would cost about $5 million.

The council has $5.9 million earmarked for development for "public good" improvements at the reclamation, and boaties feel no good is more important than a safe boat harbour.

"When you get a 25 knot southerly squall on a Sunday afternoon, mum and dad and the kids in a 16ft runabout do not get in easily," said Camp.

His club the major organisation for Lyttelton yachties and boaties and many recreational boaties feel the council should fund a breakwater now, and recover the cost from Covington later when it has income from its development. They fear improvement could be at least a decade away if it all hinges on the Covington development.

His comments are echoed by Magazine Bay Berth Holders chairman David Grant. Boaties desperately needed some steps to be made as a confidence builder, and wave protection was the essential one, he said.

"We can't wait for four or five years before there's any sign of progress."

A breakwater definitely met the "public good" requirement, he pointed out.

Ken Camp said his club also wanted to see a tidy-up of the area, and this should have been done years ago.

Sheriff said the working party was "really putting the pressure" on itself and meeting every week to keep things moving. However, any proposals for improvements would be "a wee way down the track," she said.