A proposal to reopen Dunedin's scenic John Wilson Ocean Dr to motorists could be considered within weeks.
Dunedin City Council staff yesterday confirmed a new report containing options, including reopening the road to Lawyers Head, would be presented to the next community development committee meeting on June 9.
The committee's recommendation would be forwarded to the next full council meeting on July 6 for a final decision.
The news comes amid public opposition to the road's continued closure, which on Tuesday prompted Cr John Bezett to call for the closure to be reconsidered, and Cr Michael Guest to call for a report to the next committee meeting.
The road was closed in late 2006 for construction of Dunedin's $37 million outfall pipe, but remained shut after the pipe's commissioning in January while work continued on an Ocean Beach management plan and an erosion data collection project.
Last month, council parks and reserves team leader Martin Thompson said the road was likely to remain closed for "several years", following approval at a community development committee meeting in July last year.
However, Cr Bezett told Tuesday's community development committee meeting the road's long-term closure "wasn't council's intent", and the decision needed "redress".
"It may have been councillors' fault or it may have been the staff who didn't explain the process.
"I'm not pointing the finger at anyone at all," Cr Bezett told the Otago Daily Times yesterday.
Minutes from last year's July 15 meeting showed councillors voted to approve the continued closure while work on the Ocean Beach management plans continued, but made no mention of the duration of the closure.
However, a report tabled at the meeting discussed the proposal in detail, and included a brief reference - at the bottom of the third page of a four-page report - to the completion of Ocean Beach management plan work being "three years away".
Committee chairman Cr Paul Hudson believed the report was "quite clear", and a copy would be tabled at the next meeting on June 9 alongside the new staff report.
Council community life general manager Graeme Hall yesterday said he could not recall the extent of discussion about the closure's duration at last year's meeting, but "I think the councillors had an expectation it wouldn't take so long".
Cr Hudson said he did not support reopening the road, and neither did "one or two others" around the council table.
In January last year, Dunedin psychiatrist Dr Keren Skegg told councillors the road's closure had dramatically reduced the number of people committing suicide by jumping from the cliff at Lawyers Head.
Last month, the ODT also reported a study of wildlife in the area showed more activity - particularly in sea lions - since the disturbance from vehicles had reduced.
However, Cr Bezett said his "gut feeling" was the majority of councillors supported reopening the road, and he was "absolutely convinced" it would be reopened "just as soon as we practically can".
