The long-awaited and at times contentious Oamaru Harbour master plan is set to go out for public consultation.
A draft of the 30-year plan for the harbour will be tabled at a meeting of the Waitaki District Council’s harbour area committee on Wednesday, where its members will consider a recommendation the full council firstly adopt the draft plan, then put it out for public consultation.
Draft proposals at the start of July last year were met with a public outcry over the apparent direction of the plan.
Proposals for public consultation initially ranged from least ambitious to most ambitious and commercial development was seen to outweigh the community’s desire to preserve the atmosphere of the popular area.
The 46-page document outlines the major projects planned at the harbour and breaks down how much they are estimated to cost.
Several projects are listed on a work programme and include harbour dredging and a breakdown of maintenance and other planned works to be done on the harbour’s major assets.
Other listed projects include several in the southern harbour precinct along Waterfront Rd to the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony; the waterfront zone, along the Esplanade; Holmes Wharf; the waterfront precinct between Holmes Wharf and Waterfront Rd; a harbour plaza area including Harbour and Wansbeck Sts and the open space used by the Oamaru Farmers’ Market; Sumpter Wharf and the breakwater; and the town centre.
Those projects have an estimated price tag of a combined $19.535million.
Million-dollar-plus projects include harbour dredging ($4.390million); improved breakwater maintenance ($2.7million); breakwater height construction ($3million); structural renovations to Sumpter Wharf ($1.4million); and complete structural renovations on piles and decking on Holmes Wharf ($2.7million).
The document details four objectives it is hoped investment in the harbour will achieve: to create an area ‘‘in sympathy with the town’s heritage’’; encourage investment; increase foot traffic and boost economic activity by improving connections between the harbour the town’s central business district; and environmental awareness.
Last year, Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher attempted to ease public concerns about the master plan after an angst-filled public forum at the committee’s meeting on July 2.
At the time he conceded it was not ready to the released publicly, which led to a delay of several months so the plan could be fine-tuned.
The plan is scheduled to be adopted at the end of June.
