Petition puts spoke in MTB hub works
aspirations to potentially develop a mountain bike hub at Eskdale Park,” he said.
Hosford said the hub would likely require car parking and a bridge spanning the Esk River to provide access to proposed new tracks in the soon-to-be-developed mountain bike park in Pan Pac forest land.
“While consultation and engagement hasn’t formally commenced, a petition has been received by council that asks council to preserve the park as it is,” he added.
Hawke’s Bay Mountain Bike Club chairman Scott Richardson said while thousands of hours of planning work had gone into the idea, it was not fully formed enough to share full details of it widely.
“We’ve engaged with Pan Pac and Hastings District Council for over three years around this project, so it hasn’t come out of the blue,” he said.
He said the club, made up of volunteers, were “trying to future proof the sport of mountain biking in Hawke’s Bay for the next 25 years”.
Hastings District Council plans to hold a community meeting regarding Eskdale Park’s redevelopment possibilities at Hukarere Girls’ College on Wednesday, September 9.
Hosford said the date might be adjusted amid Covid-19 gathering restrictions.
“Once the community meeting is held, it will provide an opportunity for the wider community to share their views about the park — what they like and dislike, what needs preserving, what needs renewing and any potential new activities or features that might enhance enjoyment of the park,” he said.
Consultation will also remain open on the “myvoicemychoice” website for several weeks after the community meeting.
Attempts to contact petition creator Bergloff-Howes on Thursday were unsuccessful.