Boardwalk plan could be revived
A BOARDWALK could be built at Portobello in Dunedin after all, if the city council boosts a project budget by $1.5 million.
The onoff plan to put in a boardwalk between the Portobello Boating Club and the township could be on again, and Otago Peninsula Community Board chairman Paul Pope is pleased about it.
Mr Pope said it would make the area safer and draw people to the village.
The community had been clear it wanted the 3mwide shared path at Latham Bay, he said.
Dunedin city councillors will next week consider revising part of the Peninsula Connection project and boosting its 202131 budget by $1.5 million, to enable construction of the boardwalk.
If that proceeds, the council can expect to get $780,000 back from Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency and some funding may be available through a climate emergency response fund.
The Peninsula Connection project began in 2004. It was aimed at improving safety and amenity in Portobello Rd, raising and widening it at the same time as boosting resilience to climate change.
Construction from Vauxhall to Portobello is almost complete.
However, there has been some confusion about what should happen at Latham Bay.
Early concept designs featured a 3mwide boardwalk there.
Resource consent was later granted instead for a 1.5mwide footpath, alongside trafficcalming measures on the road.
This has been described by council staff as inconsistent with the rest of the shared path.
The roadside shoulder would not be wide enough to accommodate a shared path where cyclists could mix with pedestrians, people with prams and wheelchair users.
Cyclists would have to share the section of the road with vehicles and a roadside barrier would take up some space on the shoulder.
Adding a boardwalk at Portobello would complete a consistent route for people walking and cycling between Portobello and Vauxhall, the council staff report said.
Resource consent would need to be sought for construction of a boardwalk.
A possible change of heart about a boardwalk comes months after a communication breakdown between the city council and the community board.
Members of the board were startled when they were told in
March part of the road safety project was not due to happen until 2028.
Mr Pope and board member Cheryl Neill were amazed when they learned a works package would not extend beyond Allans Beach Rd to Portobello School, and that such work might be several years away.
The council moved to clarify the situation, highlighting an upgrade of the footpath linking Portobello village with the school was imminent.
At the time, council infrastructure and development general manager Simon Drew said plans for a boardwalk section at Portobello were removed from the project during the resource consenting process following community input that the boardwalk would have adverse effects on the natural character of the harbour.
Mr Pope confirmed there had since been further discussion.