Poor communication was criticised amidst a debate about how to approach the future of Beach Rd after an environmental cleanup that started three months ago resulted in the discovery of 58% more old rubbish than anticipated.
The resulting massive holes left from digging up the scenic coastal road to extract 19,000 tonnes of old refuse has left the council with a dilemma and it announced last week the road would not be opened again in the foreseeable future.
Beach Rd was temporarily closed in August to facilitate stage two of the council’s $12.5 million-plus environmental cleanup of vulnerable coastal dump sites, Project Reclaim.
In all, 58% more rubbish than expected was carted away to a specially constructed cell at Palmerston from the historic flytipping sites beneath the road.
Beach Rd is one of the most scenic stretches of highway on the South Island east coast.
It connects Oamaru to the Kakanui coast and also gives access to key features in the Unesco Waitaki Geopark.
Cr Rebecca Ryan said the emotional pull of the scenic stretch of highway was a given.
But it had been disconcerting to learn in the past week that "some key landowners" were not in the loop when they learned second-hand last week of the council’s decision to keep the road shut.
While Cr Ryan said she supported the recommendation to now consult the public, those most directly impacted, the adjoining landowners, should have been consulted "even if it is not required ... before hearing or reading about it in a media release".
Council transport subcommittee chairman Jim Thomson also ticked staff off.
He said he did not want "to be negative" but he had asked at the start of the project to be kept informed.
However the communication had been "absolutely nothing" and he likened the latest news to "being asked to pass the ball after being hit by the tackler".
"It’s just cart before the horse."
District council assets manager Joshua Rendell acknowledged communication could have been better.
He said the cleanup budget had not covered reinstating the road, although staff had "hoped" there might be enough left over.
At the same time, "there is no legal requirement for us to reinstate the road", he said.
The council had received as late as Monday a survey estimating it would cost $720,000 to realign the now closed road.
Key "cost-related information" had been missing from the initial report.
They options were:
• $720,000 to realign the road around the edge of the two holes on the current path;
• $353,000 to completely realign the road inland from the intersection of Beach Rd with Awamoa Rd.
Mr Rendell said purely "on an infrastructure assessment" staff would recommend closing the road as the best option.
But it was not necessarily of efficiency or economics, "but one amenity".
"It’s well known that people enjoy that drive ... and is an outstanding area in New Zealand."
