Wharf Road walkway construction back on track

July 29th
By David Armstrong

The gravel walkway planned to run beside Wharf Road across the estuary to provide the final link in the coastal walkway system is back on track following a period of frustration for its promoters Keep Motueka Beautiful (KMB) and chief advocate Bob Cooke.

The plan was put on hold, and threatened with total derailment, early this year when a variety of TDC staff and consultants demanded a more complex construction with escalating costs, and a Notified Resource Consent Application, which would take at least three months to complete and cost a lot more money. (See our report here).

This month KMB heard that council had decided to go back to the initial, simpler concept, which would not require notified resource consent, and construction could start sooner.

This week TDC advertised its intention to proceed and said it had applied for resource consent for work where the path formation extends into the estuary on the north (town) side of the road, and to form several bird sanctuaries along the way.

"Unfortunately it will be necessary to remove the wattle and pine trees and some scrub on the northern side to accommodate the new path," the public notice said. "This changed landscape will make Wharf Road look different. However, as part of the project it is planned to create native planting plots at various locations along Wharf Road.

"The clearing will extend from near the entrance into the small reserve at the sate highway end to west of the control gates. The trees, some of which are considered unsafe, are due to be removed in late August at the earliest."

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