SECOND PUBLIC BRIEFING FOR COROMANDEL HARBOUR PROJECT

22 AUGUST, 2014

A second public project briefing for the Coromandel Harbour project is going to be held at 5.30pm Thursday 11 September at the Coromandel Town Hall.

Council has signed off on the process towards lodging a resource consent application, which will see the extension of the Sugarloaf Wharf using a modest reclamation and three concrete piers. Improvements at the Sugarloaf Wharf will help solve health and safety and congestions issues between mussel industry and recreational fishers and may also enable a faster commuter ferry to come in from Auckland.

The establishment of a park and ride service is also being investigated to resolve parking and road congestion problems in the short term between Hannaford's Jetty and Sugarloaf and promote the 10 minute commute to and from Coromandel Town.

Another piece of the project will be a detailed business case looking at dredging a half a metre channel at Furey's Creek for recreational and shallow draft charter boats and a dredged basin at Coromandel Wharf to accommodate charter boats, ferry, recreational boats, marine servicing and potentially a marina in the long term. The proposed all-tide access is closer to Coromandel Town, which enables local businesses to benefit.

"Both the Resource Consent Process and the Business Case Plan is still very much in the very early stages of development," says Greg Hampton Coromandel Harbour Facilities Project manager for Council. "Both the resource consent application at Sugarloaf and a Business Case for the Furey's Creek area will be done in consultation with our Stakeholders Working Group and the wider community," says Mr Hampton. "We still have a long way to go before we see any works happen. This includes sediment and ecological modelling, environmental effects and the feasibility of any financial model.”

"When work begins it will also be a staged approach as funding dictates. But right now it's heartening to see the community support already behind the project," says Mr Hampton.

Earlier this year a Stakeholders Working Group was established following a public meeting in Coromandel Town attended by more than 150 people. The Stakeholders Working Group is made up of Council staff, 3 elected members (Council and Coromandel / Colville Community Board), WRC, DoC, iwi and 17 other representatives from the business, environment, aquaculture, public and private sector.
The Working Group is the forum through which community and stakeholder views and issues can be tabled and included in the project for consultation and while it doesn't have delegated authority to make decisions it is relied upon for recommendations and direction on the project.

Local knowledge is really important with the development of any facilities.

Meanwhile on-going consultation will be undertaken with the project Stakeholder Working Group, and future public meetings planned as part of a wider consultation process.

The project will also be put out for district consultation as part of next year's Long Term Plan.

The Coromandel Harbour Project is one of Council’s prioritised top three projects in the current Economic Development Action Plan. TO FIND OUT MORE CLICK HERE.

ENDS

© Scoop Media