But a Central Otago District Council (CODC) planning officer has recommended consent for the Lake Dunstan Cycle Trail be granted, subject to a suite of conditions that include the development of a hazard monitoring and management plan.
Independent commissioner Gary Rae will preside over a hearing in Alexandra tomorrow for the application from the Central Otago Queenstown Trail Network Trust for land use consent for earthworks and structures for the trail, which would go on the true right of Lake Dunstan, from Bannockburn to the Clyde Dam.
The trail will be part of the $26 million New Zealand Cycle Trail Project to build 536km of trails connecting Cromwell to Clyde and the Otago Central Rail Trail, to Queenstown via the Kawarau Gorge Trail, and to Wanaka.
Geotechnical reports will be presented at the hearing, and detail concerns about potential rockfall along the trail.
A report from WSP-Opus principal geotechnical engineer Rob Bond said the risks posed to trail users were "close to intolerable", and rockfall risk had the potential to cause significant harm or injury — even fatality.
Mr Bond said the risks could be managed "to a degree" by both signage and remedial management actions such as scaling or rockfall mitigation done either during construction or after a natural event such as heavy rainstorm or an earthquake.
The key areas requiring scaling and further mitigation would be the areas below steep and overhanging cliffs, and near structures such as bridges, he said.
A submission from Central Otago geologist Royden Thomson also outlined his concerns about "significant" rockfall risks on parts of the trail.
He said there was insufficient information from the applicant about construction practices and proposed structures, and wanted more information about rockfall hazards and risks.
The application attracted 176 submissions, 167 in favour, seven against and two neutral.
Other concerns of opposing submitters included the effect of the trail on the residents of Cornish Point — along the trail — and landscape effects. Some have asked for an alternative route for the trail to be considered.
Of the 160 submissions supporting the application, 140 were "either exactly the same or very similar and make a statement to the effect that ‘the trail will be a terrific asset for Central Otago and the towns of Clyde and Cromwell’," CODC planning officer Oli Monthule-McIntosh’s report said.
Mr Monthule-McIntosh has recommended granting consent for the application, saying any adverse effects on the environment could be "satisfactorily mitigated", and would be outweighed by the trail’s positive effects.
He has recommended a suite of conditions, including a Hazard Monitoring and Management Plan which would require annual inspections of known rockfall areas and outline how emerging risks would be proactively managed.
