Anyone who thinks Ardmore St between Lake Wanaka and the town's CBD should be closed permanently to cars has the chance now to make their case.
The Wanaka Community Board at its meeting this week decided to put out for public consultation a ‘‘concept plan'' produced by Auckland landscape architect Garth Falconer.
It contained six options for the stretch of Ardmore St between Bullock Creek and Dungarvon St, all showing the street continuing to have various levels of vehicular traffic.
Board member Lyal Cocks questioned the number of options being put out for consultation, suggesting Mr Falconer might have ‘‘gone a bit too far'' in some, particularly those showing the alignment of Ardmore St being changed.
Mr Cocks said he would be concerned at the potential cost if there was a ‘‘huge amount of support'' for shifting Ardmore St.
He suggested fewer, ‘‘more focused'' options be put to the public, but said he was not going to ‘‘die in a ditch over it''.
The board went ahead with recommending all options go out for consultation.
Asked by the Otago Daily Timesto expand on his comments, Mr Cocks said there had always been talk that Ardmore St might be stopped completely one day.
Mr Cocks said he did not believe now was the time to do that, and did not think it necessary to include that option.
He favoured option four, which left Ardmore St where it was and added a plaza at the bottom of Helwick St.
It was also the option he considered the one that best enabled Ardmore St to be stopped if that was decided at some point in the future.
He encourages anyone who thought Ardmore St should be closed to make the point during the current round of consultation.
The concept plan includes a ‘‘blank option'' allowing the public to draw their own plan for the area.mark.price@odt.co.nz
