Problem
New Plymouth District Council employees have removed the steps allowing access from the ‘top carpark’ at the Paritutu end of Back Beach, thereby limiting access for everyone who is unwilling or unable to use the ‘sand shute’ down the sand dune adjacent to the steps which were damaged in a storm some months ago.

Solution
Reinstate the steps from the ‘lookout’ to the beach. They do not have to be ‘storm proof’, just repaired. And if need be, repaired as necessary in the future.

Personal story
My wife and I visit Back Beach regularly, even daily, during Summer to both walk the dog and to swim. Since the storm wrecked the bottom of the existing steps, access to this end of the beach involves a significant walk from the ‘bottom carpark’ to this end and back again.
We do not wish to use the ‘sand shute’ as we consider this detrimental to the sand dune, and certainly climbing back up the sand Shute is well beyond our capabilities apart from also contributing to the dune erosion.