Gore District Council critical of bridge opponents in Annual Report

Tuesday, 14 December 2021

An artist impression of the $3.7million cable-stay design bridge as part of a $10.8million project to carry water pipelines from the East Gore plant to the Jacobstown wells. It will be the longest and tallest structure of this type in New Zealand at 39m high and 90m long.

The Gore District Council says opponents of its proposed bridge over the Mataura River put out ‘’factual inaccuracies’’ designed to ‘’put the council off its stride’’ about the project.

The council’s draft 2020-21 Annual Report, release on Tuesday, refers to the Longford Bridge as a ‘’bridge over troubled water’’.

It says “the proposed Longford Shared Path Bridge dominated political discussion in the first six months of the year under review. It was satisfying to secure consent by the independent commissioners for the new bridge after what had become a heated community debate, punctuated by factual inaccuracies put out by opponents in an endeavour to put the council off-stride.”

It goes on to say ‘’it is interesting to note that with the passage of time, a large segment of the community appears to be relaxed to a point of being excited by this ambitious new design”.

* Pipe dream: Council criticised over water system wasting 'millions'

* Consents granted for controversial Gore bridge

* Budget blowout possible for Mataura River bridge project

In June 2020, the council launched its plan to build the $3.7 million cable-stay bridge across the Mataura River to carry water pipes to the Gore Water Treatment Plant, which is being upgraded.

Resource consents were granted, but they were appealed to the Environment Court by the Waimea Plains Landscape Preservation Society, and a hearing was held in October.

The Gore District Council decided not to use about 120 planters in its 'Streets Alive' programme, which were destined for the town's median strips. In its Annual Report, it called the project ‘ambitious.’

The Annual Report says it is hoped that a decision on a resource consent for the new structure will be issued early in 2022.

The council voted to accept its draft 2020-21 Annual Report at a full council meeting at the Hokonui Rununga on Tuesday, subject to receipt of an audit opinion.

The council’s auditors advised last week that they were not going to be in a position to be able to provide an audit opinion in time for the council meeting. Council chief financial officer Lornae Straith told the meeting it was expected next week.

In the Annual Report, the council was also critical of its Streets Alive roading project, which ‘’seemed to stir up and provoke an agitated community”, the report says.

The Streets Alive project changed some layouts for traffic around the town, by adding pocket parks, planters, roundabouts and courtesy crossings to make the streets safer and more accessible. The council ended the project early after it received a petition, signed by more than 1100 people, asking for the removal of some initiatives, including more than 460 concrete troughs, from the towns streets.

The draft Annual Report says the project ‘’was ambitious to undertake … and in the end, Waka Kotahi NZTA, despite funding 90 per cent of the project, was conspicuous by its absence in partnering with the council to try to explain the rationale for changes to an increasingly intolerant and angry community”.

The council has recorded a surplus of $334,000, against a budget deficit of $730,000 in its 2020 – 2021 Annual Report.

A report by Straith, which was tabled at the meeting, says delays in 3 Waters projects, including the Longford Bridge, means the council borrowed $32.5m, which was $5.67m less than what was forecast.

Other revenue was higher than budget by $1.66 million. Straith’s report says this is mainly due to Shovel Ready funding from the Government for the MLT Event Centre re-roof, the redevelopment of the Gore library and community rooms, funding for Mayor’s Taskforce for Jobs, and the stimulus funding received for 3 Waters.