Have your say on Wellington Riding for the Disabled developments in Battle Hill Farm Forest Park

The Wellington Group of Riding for Disabled (WRDA) has applied to Greater Wellington Regional Council for a lease to develop a covered arena and other facilities at Abbots Field near the park's Paekakariki Hill Road entrance.

Under its application, the WRDA would make Battle Hill its permanent, long term home, comprising the covered arena including covered yards and a tack room, offices, training room, storage, volunteer kitchen and lounge area and toilets.

To achieve its long term ambition for a covered riding arena that provides all weather operations in comfort, the WRDA is seeking a thirty five year lease term for an area at the northern end of Abbots Field.

The long duration lease would enable the WRDA to continue to provide a safe, sustainable and high-quality therapeutic riding service based on interaction with horses. This would give children and adults with physical, emotional and social challenges the opportunity to develop increased ability, independence and self-esteem   

The WRDA, which provides services for riders from Wellington to Porirua, currently operates out of temporary uncovered facilities in a paddock near the park's entrance.

Greater Wellington Regional Council has set up a Have Your Say page on its website where people can make submissions on the proposal until Friday 1 September. There is more information on the proposal on the site and copies are available at Battle Hill Farm Forest Park homestead office, or GWRC, Shed 39, Fryatt Quay, Wellington. 

For more information on the proposal contact Donna Kennedy at wellingtonrda@xtra.co.nz or visit www.wellingtonrda.org.nz