Latest update on Historic Kopu Bridge

The Historic Kopu Bridge Society has been lobbying our Council to support retaining the Historic Bridge, which was declared surplus to requirements by New Zealand Transport Authority and scheduled for demolition.

"From our perspective, no decisions are required by our Council," says Thames-Coromandel District Council Mayor Glenn Leach. "We considered the matter and made a resolution in the Council meeting in October 2014."

The conditions as recorded in the October meeting are:

That the Thames-Coromandel District Council:

1. Supports the retention of the Historic Kopu Bridge in principle conditional upon the following measures being achieved to remove all risk of future cost to the ratepayer:

• A long term transferrable resource consent for future demolition being successfully achieved by NZTA;
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• Certainty of operation, maintenance, and financial self-sustainability by an external management entity and;
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• Certainty on the adequacy of future demolition funding received from NZTA.
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2. If the Bridge is demolished Council will oppose any partial demolition proposals that retain only part sections of the bridge structure.

3. That if the Bridge is demolished the swing arm be located on land at a site agreed on by Thames-Coromandel District Council and Hauraki District Council, and at NZTA cost.

"We have supported the Historic Kopu Bridge Society subject to them meeting conditions set out at that Council meeting and they are currently trying to meet the conditions by securing an external funding stream," says Mayor Leach. "The time frame for removal is in NZTA hands and it's over to the Historic Bridge Society to satisfy NZTA, iwi and then our Council of their proposal," says Mayor Leach.

Our Council understands that NZTA are in the process of preparing resource consent applications to demolish the historic bridge. Although there are no timeframes, it is expected that consents would be lodged before the end of the year. If in the event NZTA get consent to demolish and the Society can't satisfy our conditions then the Bridge should be removed.

To find out more about the history of the Old Kopu Bridge go to www.tcdc.govt.nz/oldkopubridge

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