You can't make this stuff up.....

Cardrona residents survey wants bra fence to stay

13 February 2006

By LIN FERGUSONA Cardrona Valley ratepayers and residents association survey had come out in unanimous support of the valley's iconic bra fence to stay as it is, chairman John Scurr said yesterday.

A letter from the association asking that the bra fence be allowed to stay would be on Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Clive Geddes's desk today, Mr Scurr said.

"We've asked for it to stay as long as there is some caretaking of the fence. We don't want it getting higher, longer or suddenly being filled with boots and knickers as well. But it should stay because it's become part of the valley."

A row over whether the fence, with hundreds of bras tied along it, has been brewing for more than a year.

This was after lone objector, Andre Prassinos, an American who lives part of the year in Wanaka, started his solo campaign to get the council to remove the fence, saying it was a "potential traffic hazard" , Mr Scurr said.

Within a few months of his (Mr Prassinos') objection the council organised the building of two traffic lay-bys so that motorists who wanted to take pictures of the fence could pull off the road safely.

Fence owner John Lee said the two lay-bys were not funded by ratepayers.

"It cost $12,000 and $6000 was from a special Transit New Zealand safety fund and the other $6000 was paid by me," he said.

The lay-bys had now been in place for more than a year, he said.

But last week Mr Prassinos urged the council again to get rid of the bra fence, saying it was "a growing eyesore" , Mr Lee said.

Two weeks earlier, Mr Lee's Queenstown lawyer, Warwick Goldsmith, had told council the fence wasn't actually on Mr Lee's land; that it was 8cm inside public road reserve.

Mr Lee said he was now being asked by council to apply for a licence to have the fence on the road reserve.

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---Katie