Property owner opposes proposed cycle trail’s route

Poppy Sutherland, 10, stands by a sign at the entrance of her home opposing the route of a...
Poppy Sutherland, 10, stands by a sign at the entrance of her home opposing the route of a proposed cycle trail in Woodside. PHOTO: TARA SUTHERLAND
A Taieri farmer opposing a proposal for a cycle trail near her home believes her action will bring change.

Tara Sutherland installed a sign at her farm entrance in Huntly Rd, Woodside about six weeks ago.

The message on the sign reads "Cycle trail not welcome here".

She installed the sign following a proposal for a cycle trail route between Waihola and Mosgiel, which travelled on a paper road near the boundary of her more than 30ha run-off block on the foot of the Maungatua Range.

The proposed route was near her home, which was down a long driveway off Huntly Rd.

She feared she would lose her peace, quiet and privacy if the route remained.

"The idea of having hundreds of cyclists, going past that close to me, make me feel sick. I really don’t want it here."

Wild deer from the range often visited, which she enjoyed and she feared a cycle route would scare them away.

"You’ll never see them again."

She was not against the trail but she did not want it near her house.

The trail should be established near existing infrastructure, such as roads or railway lines, she said.

After talking to the Otago Daily Times, she attended a meeting with affected landowners on the foot of the range to raise concerns with Taieri Trails Group members Dean McAlwee and Graeme Robertson on Wednesday night.

Mr McAlwee said the trust realised some landowners were anxious about the original route proposal.

The priority for the group was the first stage of the trail between Mosgiel and Outram.

A second stage of the project would focus on the construction of the trail between Waihola and Berwick.

The third and final stage between Berwick and Outram, including Woodside, would be up to a decade away and consultation had been limited.

As the affected landowners in the third stage had raised concerns, the proposed trail route would need to change, Mr McAlwee said.

"It can’t go there — it’s impossible, it’s never going to happen. We don’t want it to go where landowners don’t want it, it is as simple as that."

Mrs Sutherland said from information from the meeting, she believed the proposed route would be changed to travel along Maungatua and Huntly Rds, rather than past her home.

"They’ve back-tracked and it has been resolved."

Mr McAlwee said everyone at the meeting was happy with the new route proposal.

Mrs Sutherland planned to change the message of the sign to something positive about the proposed cycle trail.

"Watch this space."

shawn.mcavinue@odt.co.nz

 

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