During the public forum, local resident Nick Oldham voiced his frustration regarding dust suppression issues on Henry St in Waikouaiti. He had been trying to get action from the Dunedin City Council for about two years.
Waikouaiti Coast Community Board chairman Alasdair Morrison provided an update, saying Henry St had recently been checked and that repairs would be done before a surface treatment called bio-oil was applied, with the hope it would be done before the end of November.
Speed issues raised
At the public forum, local resident Jude Molyneux highlighted safety concerns on Sulisker St in Karitāne.
She raised issues of poor visibility, poorly placed signage, and speeding.
When turning into Sulisker St, a street marking indicated a give-way, but it did not adequately draw attention to the street’s narrowing.
This created potentially dangerous situations for both cars and pedestrians.
Although there were speed humps when turning right on to Sulisker St, there were no speed suppression systems from the other direction.
As a result, drivers tended to ‘‘put their foot down’’ when travelling the straight road.
Because the street was close to the beach and lacked a footpath, adults, children, and animals often walked on the road.
There was only one sign indicating the area was a 30kmh speed zone.
More signage was needed to highlight these potential hazards, particularly near the beach, she said.
Water treatment options highlighted
Dunedin City Council’s Three Waters planning manager Jared Oliver presented options for addressing future wastewater systems in the area.
The current wastewater system was nearing the end of its consent period and faced challenges meeting evolving environmental standards.
Mr Oliver outlined four shortlisted options for system upgrades, developed to ensure environmental compliance, resilience, and scalability, that also addressed culturally acceptable solutions in consultation with mana whenua.
The preferred option proposes a centralised treatment system and disposal field near Waikouaiti.
This facility would handle wastewater from both Waikouaiti and Warrington, addressing concerns about capacity, cost, and environmental impact.
Mr Oliver said this option benefited from avoiding vulnerable coastal areas, thereby reducing risks associated with sea-level rise.
The selected site had favourable soil conditions for wastewater treatment, and preliminary talks with local iwi had indicated alignment with cultural considerations.
There will be a public consultation phase for the project, inviting community input before the council makes a final decision.
Residents will be encouraged to participate actively, as their feedback will shape the long-term wastewater infrastructure plan.
