Lakefront access improvements work gets going
WANAKA
FENCES have gone up and the main contractor has been preparing the site this week for work to start this Monday on the next stage of the Lake Wanaka development plan.
The third instalment of the fivepart redevelopment of the Wanaka lakefront by the
Queenstown Lakes District Council runs from Bullock Creek, along the edge of Lakeside Rd and through to the Wanaka marina.
It will feature native vegetation, a shared pathway for pedestrians and cyclists that connects the town centre with the marina and a boardwalk running along the lake’s edge.
Wanaka ward councillor Quentin Smith said stage three was probably the least controversial as it did not affect parking or traffic.
Its focus was on improved access and environmental enhancement.
‘‘Improving access to the foreshore on a boardwalk and improving access along Lakeside Rd for walkers and cyclists can only be hugely beneficial for the community and visitors alike,’’ he said.
Retired zoologist and Lake Wanaka marina grebes project founder John Darby said the waterbirds were unlikely to be affected before the construction reached the shore.
‘‘As far as I can gather that won’t be until after April, and by then breeding will have finished,’’ he said.
Council spokesman Jack Barlow said there would be some disruption to Lakeside Rd traffic and access during work on the lakefront project until it was concluded in August.