Going down that road again?

John Wilson Drive. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
John Wilson Drive. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
Debate over the future of Dunedin's scenic John Wilson Ocean Dr is not over yet.

A move to send the entire issue back to the Dunedin City Council's community development committee for another review of options will be considered at Monday's full council meeting.

Cr Bill Acklin included an item in the agenda for next week's meeting seeking support for the move.

He told the Otago Daily Times the vote would decide whether the committee would consider new options for shared use of the road - including some vehicle access - or whether debate over the road's use would finally cease.

"Come Monday, if it doesn't get referred back to [the] community development [committee], then that's it for a while."

Cr Acklin has criticised the decision to keep the road permanently closed to vehicles, after councillors first included, then removed, $487,519 to fund the road's upgrade from the council's 2011-12 budget.

Monday's vote would depend on whether "one or two" councillors who changed their minds and voted to remove the funding could be convinced to change their minds again, Cr Acklin said.

"I think I've got close to what I need, but we're playing a bit of a political game now, of course."

Sending the issue back to the committee - which Cr Acklin chaired - would see old and new options for the road considered, with results later this year and funding, if required, considered as part of next year's annual plan process.

A cheaper solution could be funded sooner, from existing budgets, but the road would remain closed to vehicles at least until the review was completed.

Cr Acklin said any new work would build on that already completed by the council and last year's hearings committee.

Further consultation might not be required, if a new option stuck to last year's recommendation from the hearing panel for some form of shared access.

"It's probably been over-consulted, but I think the message from the public has probably become somewhat distorted now. We need to look at what further options there are to get this one right."

His own view was the $487,519 upgrade option remained the best option.

"It would have turned it into something quite fantastic and I still support going to that extreme, but I'm only one person."

The coastal drive to Lawyers Head, running parallel to St Kilda beach, was closed in 2006 to allow construction of the council's Tahuna outfall pipe.

It has remained closed to vehicles since, apart from a brief reopening in 2009. Gates, and later bollards, have prevented vehicles from reaching Lawyers Head.

Pedestrian access was reinstated with the completion of the outfall pipe, but the continued closure to vehicles has divided road users.

Last year's consultation led to a recommendation to upgrade the road for shared use by all users, and $487,519 was included in the council's 2011-12 draft annual plan.

A further round of annual plan consultation last month led to the funding being removed, after a flood of submissions by those opposed to vehicle access.

Those in favour of vehicle access claimed the process was flawed, but an attempt by Cr Acklin earlier this month to reinstate restricted vehicle access after a smaller $50,000 upgrade fell one vote short.

• The New Zealand Automobile Association's Otago District Council is again surveying members to check their views on the road's closure to vehicles, after last year arguing for reinstated vehicle access as part of shared use of the road.

- chris.morris@odt.co.nz

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