The land needed to widen Riccarton Rd will be obtained by statutory authority if a mutual agreement can not be met, Dunedin City Council roading projects engineer Evan Matheson says.
Mr Matheson, speaking at the Mosgiel Taieri Community Board meeting last week, said the council was talking to Riccarton Rd residents about buying their land for a safety project to widen each side of the road by 1.5m.
Land valuations had been prepared for 17 of 24 of the Riccarton Rd residents the council needed to obtain land from, he said.
''We've given them what we think is a fair and reasonable settlement.''
Property owners could accept the offer or pay for their own valuation, he said.
Four of the 17 residents given valuations had accepted, he said.
''There is still a whole lot to settle but we are making steady progress.''
Mr Matheson said the ''sensitive'' project was progressing and he was confident the land needed for the project would be obtained.
But some landowners were hesitant to make land available, he said.
''That's understandable. We'll be trying very, very hard to get an agreement, and will negotiate, and have a long time to get a mutual agreement.''
However, if a mutual agreement could not be reached, the council would use the Public Works Act to reach a ''fair and reasonable'' binding agreement, he said.
Board member Maurice Prendergast said using the Act to obtain land ''wouldn't be a good look for the council''.
Riccarton Rd resident Brian Miller, who has been in dispute with the council and community board over the proposed road widening, said the council was not trying to reach a fair and reasonable settlement and valuations were being forced on landowners.
''Take it or leave it is all I've ever had.''
