Coastal walkway closed after clash between council and property owners

Tuesday, 3 October 2023

A popular Auckland coastal walkway has been closed after a spat between the land owner and council.

North Shore local Charlene Laing has been scrambling past rock pools on the Takapuna-Milford walkway since she was 18-years-old.

When she had children, Laing brought them with her – the whole family would wander along the coastline.

On Monday, Laing rounded a corner to see a fence blocking her way: “I was devastated.”

Part of the Takapuna-Milford walkway has been closed to the public after a heritage dispute between private property owners and Auckland Council reached a deadlock.

Walkers, like Laing, will have to traverse a staircase onto a busy road before walking back down to the beach.

“It’s such a beautiful stretch,” Laing said. “I’m hoping they can come to some sort of arrangement so that they can open it again.”

Takapuna local and walker Stewart Laird agrees.

“I’d walk this path virtually every day in the summer… It’s such an important amenity that the council shouldn’t be mucking around.”

Part of the Takapuna-Milford walkway has been closed to the public after a heritage dispute came to a head.

The dispute centres around a seaside cottage with heritage status.

The house, which used to be the home of New Zealand artist and photographer Clifton Firth, is one of the 72 private properties the walkway cuts across.

The owners want to give part of the property to Auckland Council, according to their lawyer and representative Alex Witten-Hannah.

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This comes with several conditions, including that the council remove the home’s heritage status so that the rest of the property can be sold without its restrictions.

A popular coastal walkway has been closed following a spat between the landowners and Auckland council.

“Closure of the walkway across the Firth property is an absolute last resort,” Witten-Hannah said.

However, local council hasn’t budged.

The seaside home has Category A Heritage protection, which is one of the strongest protections for heritage sites.

North Shore Councillor Chris Darby said council can’t guarantee it will lift the protections. The decision is made by independent commissioners based on evidence of heritage importance.

“We do need a resolution,” Darby said. “Property owners along that stretch have been very generous over the years.”

Walkers will have to take an alternative route along Kitchener Rd to complete the walk.

Local council is working on a report investigating the history of the property dispute, Darby said.

“It’s not just a North Shore coastal walkway. It’s a part of Te Araroa trail from Cape Reinga to Bluff. It is a very popular walkway.”

Witten-Hannah said the property owners never consented to the heritage status when it was first placed, but Auckland Council maintains it followed correct processes.

“The council bureaucrats put it [the heritage status] on, the council bureaucrats can take it off,” Witten-Hannah said.

With the two parties at a stalemate, walkers will have to find their own way around.

“It is really sad,” Laing said. “It feels like the end of an era.”