Plans to soften the curve where State Highway 1 meets Waitati will have potentially significant consequences for the local community, the Dunedin City Council's hearing committee has been told.
The committee yesterday heard why the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) wants the council to support its notice of requirement to realign State Highway 1 at Waitati.
The agency also explained plans to relocate the Blueskin General Store, and asked for consent to rebuild it between the railway line and Harvey St, after which it would be shifted to a permanent site on the other side of the road.
For the Waikouaiti Coast Community Board, board member Andrew Barratt told commissioners Richard Walls, Cr Andrew Noone and Cr Kate Wilson the proposals might be "run of the mill" in terms of transport, but they would have a lasting effect on the community.
Relocating the Blueskin General Store across the road would mean pedestrians would not have to cross the highway to get to the store and there was potential for a "village hub" - perhaps with public toilets - to develop around the businesses that would cluster along Harvey St.
However, there was also potential for the store, which would be moved from the temporary site to a permanent site up to two years later, and the Blueskin Nursery and Cafe to be adversely affected by what flowed from the realignment work.
Mr Barratt urged the committee to consider the presentations those businesses and other affected residents made, and to impose conditions to protect the vulnerable businesses during and after the proposed road work.
Both businesses later said they were worried the realignment plan would have a significant effect on their custom and even their long-term future.
On behalf of Blueskin General Store operators Brent and Heather Bell, Alasdair Morrison said there was a "fear in the community" that creating a faster highway intersection than at present might not be as safe as suggested.
The couple did not want the shift to go ahead.
Most of their custom came from northbound traffic, and they estimated they could lose between 20% and 40% of their business if they shifted to the other side of the road.
Planners might think shifting the shop would be good for the community - but the opposite would be true if it killed the store as a viable business.
The Bells preferred the temporary store to be taken over by another local business, to allow for a seamless move, but that idea found little favour from NZTA, Mr Morrison said.
Meanwhile, they were unsure how NZTA planned to guarantee continuity of service during the moves as its documents did not identify specific time frames.
Blueskin Nurseries Ltd director Mark Brown said the redevelopment would reduce his building's visibility towards Evansdale.
That visibility was very important to the economic viability of a business that drew a significant proportion of its custom from passing traffic.
Landscaping and uncertainty over roadside signage would exacerbate the problem, while the realignment work itself would be a major disruption.
Lee Morris pressed for speed restrictions.
The former North Dunedin fire officer said he had pulled many people from accidents on the northern motorway.
"The shop is not the problem; the corner is not the problem - speed is the problem," Mr Morris said.
NZTA project manager Simon Underwood said the realignment would improve traffic safety on a compound curve that had a 65kmh speed advisory for northbound traffic and a 75kmh advisory for southbound traffic at the end of 100kmh approaches.
Relocating the store and improving the Harvey St intersection would have traffic safely leave the highway on to a quieter road, while ensuring the community had a store in safe proximity rather than on the other side of a busy highway.
NZTA could have obtained the land though the Public Works Act but, after consultation, it believed landowners, lease owners and community representatives "had a clear preference" for land exchange and relocation.
