Heathcote Ward council candidate Ian Kearney says the response to consultation on the Cave Rock mast lights is one of the strongest he has ever seen, and shows how deeply the community cares about the issue.

Public consultation drew 943 submissions from 938 individuals and several local organisations.

The overwhelming majority supported keeping the lights on their current settings and hours.

Despite this, staff excluded the “do nothing” option from their report to the community board, instead putting forward three alternatives including reduced lighting hours.

Kearney said the numbers were remarkable compared to other council consultations.

“The sheer volume of feedback is incredible. If you look at how many people usually submit to the Council on a range of topics, this is clearly one of the biggest responses I have seen, which shows how strongly our local community feels about the mast,” he said.

Kearney said the message from residents is consistent, people want representatives who listen and act on their behalf.

“I sincerely hope the community board takes this to heart at this week’s meeting. I will be watching closely as I know many others will be as well,” he said.

The consultation results showed 84 percent of submitters wanted the current daily light settings to remain, while 72 percent supported keeping the operating hours from dusk until 11pm.

The Spreydon-Cashmere-Heathcote Community Board will consider the report on Thursday.