I would consider this number to be rather conservative, as most governments never overstate liabilities which may cause bad publicity.

I believe it is the duty of council to notify each and every owner of properties affected.

That's notification in writing advising where each property falls short on recommended floor level heights.

Council may say this is impracticable, but in my instance, l know for sure that council-contracted surveyors have completed a survey of my street and its houses.

Until this process is completed for all houses under notification, and results notified (at no cost), council is stepping on eggshells because people like myself, who have raised their property building heights, may seek and deserve compensation.

Council has cleverly suggested that only waterfront properties are affected. But believe me, many other areas are sitting no higher from sea levels and would be part of the 10,000 that council considers uninhabitable in the near future.

Until council can produce evidence that in the next 50 to 100 years sea levels will rise up to 1000 per cent more than the past 50 to 100 years, they should back off, get out of politics, and do simple community duties, not long-range debatable possibilities lacking proof.

- Carl Stevenson, Dora Creek