Visitor numbers to the Waitaki district's major centre are way up and a five-year-old plan to improve Oamaru's waterfront is being dusted off. North Otago reporter Hamish MacLean looks at what could be on the cards for the area.
Venture Waitaki says it is time to capitalise on the momentum in Oamaru and push to develop the town's waterfront.
The Waitaki District Council said in June it was in talks with three developers about a new hotel at the waterfront, and while there are moves afoot in Oamaru to renew a 2011 council plan for development on the town's waterfront, the Oamaru-based economic development group's chairman, Simon Berry, said while he was "very supportive'' of the council's work, he wanted to see more of the council's "pro-development'' talk put into action.
"We'd love to see a hotel go in there,'' Mr Berry said.
"But you know, we find it [harbour development] is quite slow going in terms of progress.''
The only development in the area since the 2011 council plan for the area was put in place had been the Steampunk playground at Friendly Bay, which opened in 2013, and the nearby cafe, The Galley, which opened in 2015, he said.
"It's taken a long time.''
With an aim to changing that, Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher and five councillors - Jim Hopkins, Sally Hope, Peter Garvan, Melanie Tavendale and Guy Percival - have been assigned to the council's "Harbour Portfolio'' and are working to renew the 2011 strategy to guide development on the waterfront.
A new, flexible, strategy could be presented to the council before this year's election in October, Mr Kircher said.
"To my mind, what we want is to have a bit of a vision moving forward as to how things can be developed without being so prescriptive that if something from left field comes forward we actually can look at it and say ‘Well we didn't envisage this, but it will work here, and how do we fit that in?'
"If there were general principles in place around development, of both private and public spaces, it would be easier to make decisions.
"It's not just private spaces, people want to do things on the public spaces, community groups or whatever, it's about "how do we develop this private space, or how do we develop this public space?''' Mr Kircher said.
"If we've got general principles, it makes it much easier for them to get further down the track and develop ideas a bit more so that we can make a final decision and say ‘Yep, that fits with what we want' or ‘Actually, no it's just not there'.
"It's a bit of a moving feast. It's been five years since [the 2011 Harbour Strategy], and quite a few things have happened since that time. As slow moving as it is, you don't have to look too far back and see there has been quite significant change.''
And while he defended the progress in developing the town's waterfront he said there was "a lot more to happen''.
"The priority is to identify what are the areas further development could happen in,'' Mr Kircher said.
He said there were areas that could be earmarked for recreational reserves, just as there was freehold land, particularly near Scott's Brewery, that could be commercially developed.
Maintaining the "existing atmosphere'' at the harbour was a priority, as was maintaining its scenic nature.
"You take some scenic area like the harbour and you don't go and block it off with solid buildings all the way along, you've got to have those ‘view shafts' between buildings and maintain the atmosphere,'' Mr Kircher said.
The council's acting chief executive Neil Jorgensen said last week an official harbour subcommittee could be reformed after the election.
Previously, a harbour subcommittee, which Mr Kircher chaired from 2005-10, was established in 2003 but it was disestablished during the last council term. Councillors working on the harbour portfolio at present were "more of a discussion group'', he said.
A formal subcommittee had delegations whereas the harbour portfolio was "looking at all things harbour''.
"[It was] trying to minimise ad hoc decision-making which might affect other areas, trying to get the overall view of what we actually want and work towards it.
"It could always change, of course, as time goes on. It's just trying to keep it co-ordinated. And, really, having a group of councillors focused on the area is a good step in that direction.‘‘Council is working on what should happen in the land around the brewery,'' Mr Jorgensen said.
"And what is the best use of that land moving forward.''
Beyond specific areas the council wanted to open up for development, the council wanted to "make sure the harbour works well together, maximises the tourism opportunities, and makes it an awesome place to go''.
"Once council has sort of got a direction set there, then the community has got a bit of understanding about what's wanted and can say ‘that fits my business needs', or not.''
There was still a valid resource consent for residential apartment buildings planned in 2008 on Waterfront Rd, he said. Mr Kircher said discussions had taken place on moving the helicopter landing pad at the waterfront, a move which could support tourism operators.
The helipad's location - an area once earmarked as camper van parking by the council - "could be better utilised by more people, more often''.
Construction of a planned children's learn-to-ride bike park could begin as early as September, he said.
Mr Berry said those interested in developing the harbour would benefit from seeing the area - and its proposed uses - mapped out.
And while he said consultation would sometimes further delay a project, if there was consultation on the strategy "we would love to be involved with it''.
