With the inevitable increase in petrol prices and the need to minimise travel - both personally and in the national and global interest - there is an equally strong need for a significant open-space recreational area as close as possible to the Wellington City community. The Makara area has been proposed as a Regional Park by the Government since the 1970's, as such an area.

As stated by Wellington City Council and Wellington Regional Council's predecessor in their report on the proposed Makara Regional Park, this area was significant because of: "Its qualities: Expansive wilderness on Regions' doorstep with remoteness feeling."

The Environment Court, in its recent Meridian West Wind decision, has confirmed that the Makara area comprising Quartz Hill, the West Wellington coast, and its surrounding landscape - is such an area that would be lost if Meridian's proposal ever proceeded.

The Environment Court found that the coastal environment from Makara Beach to near Tongue Point/Terawhiti and including Quartz Hill is nationally important, is an outstanding natural landscape, is Wellington's best natural coast, is a scarce resource district wide, and would be significantly adversely affected by Meridian's proposal

The Court concluded that the treatment of Makara's Quartz Hill by proposing to build numerous 111.2 metre high turbines, roads, cuts and fills on it, was 'repugnant'.

The Court found that significant adverse effects would result for both the Makara community and Wellington visitors to the area, due to the noise of the turbines and their visual dominance on the landscape and the coast.

The Court has imposed no noise conditions to protect Wellington visitors to public places such as the regionally significant Makara Walkway and coastal areas. An international noise expert gave evidence that the noise of the wind turbines at the Walkway gun emplacements would exceed World Heath Organisation recommendations.

Meridian in its evidence to the Court said the proposal was "indivisible". As a number of turbines have been rejected and the rest reduced in power and height from 125 metres to 111.2 metres, resulting in much lower power output, the proposal is now unviable by their own evidence.

Wind power development does not need to take so much from Wellington or any community according to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment

There is no direct power supply benefit to the Wellington community from West Wind as all power goes into the grid for distribution throughout the country.

People who previously supported Meridian's proposal were never aware of these issues and may wish to reconsider their support.