Neighbours of an Albert Town walking and cycling track which is slumping on to a busy road below say the growing risk to the public and nearby properties requires urgent attention.
A 160m section of the track, commonly referred to as the Lagoon Ave track, was closed by the Queenstown Lakes District Council more than a year ago following a slip near the intersection of Lagoon Ave and Gunn Rd.
Jim Cowie lives on a terrace above the slip and is one of several residents concerned about the destabilisation of the bank which occurred when the track was originally cut.
The slip had caused the track to slump sideways and large rocks installed by the council had done little to prevent material repeatedly spilling down on to Lagoon Ave, particularly after heavy rainfall.
''It's not only that it's a danger potentially to motorists if it slumps suddenly ... but it's an eyesore as well, to be quite honest. And it has forced the closure of what was becoming a popular walking and cycling track,'' Mr Cowie said.
Neighbours approached the council about a year ago through the Albert Town Community Association and requested action.
''They piled the dirt back up ... and it's all slipped down again.
''There's been very little effort on the part of the council or their contractors to make good at all.''
An even bigger issue was the deep ''fissures'' which had opened up in the bank as a result of the slip and had spread to within about 5m of the boundaries of properties above, although Mr Cowie's home was not directly affected.
''[The fissures] are just an absolute invite for water to pour down and increase the risk of further slumping.''
Lagoon Ave resident Ian Kennedy said a permanent solution was needed.
''It's just a mess and I think it's in the too-hard basket for the council.''
QLDC infrastructure and assets general manager Peter Hansby said Geoconsulting Ltd was commissioned to carry out a slope stability assessment on the site in August 2013.
The council subsequently closed the track before installing drainage at the slip site, removing material which had encroached on to the road and checking properties above the slip were connected to the stormwater system and not contributing water to the slope below.
As those initial actions had not arrested the slip, the council now planned to reinstate a wall at the edge of the road and backfill the scarp that had developed, Mr Hansby said.
''We will also install permanent drainage to minimise the saturation of the area. As part of that, we will investigate whether the 160m section of track can be reinstated.''
If not, a new footpath recently created across the road would provide an alternative route.
