Council ends battle over road barrier

The barrier which blocks Mead Rd during lambing. Photo by Mark Price.
The barrier which blocks Mead Rd during lambing. Photo by Mark Price.
The Queenstown-Lakes District Council has given up its long-running legal battle to secure the public's right to use Mead Rd, which runs across Hunter Valley Station beside the northwestern shore of Lake Hawea.

The High Court at Dunedin issued a notice of discontinuance of proceedings on September 22.

The proceedings were the council's application for an interim injunction designed to force station lessees Taff and Penny Cochrane to keep the lakeside road open to the public at all times.

Since 2010, the Cochranes have installed a barrier across the road during the lambing season because of their concerns about the antisocial behaviour of some visitors.

This year, the road was closed last Friday and will reopen to the public on November 18.

Council general manager legal and regulatory Scott Carran told the Otago Daily Times this week the council decision to discontinue its legal action recognised the cost to ratepayers and that the issue was a matter best left to the station and the Crown to resolve.

''We don't see a lot of value in legalising that small section of road.''

Mr Carran said the station lessees themselves considered it was a matter between them and the Crown and the council did not need to be involved.

''So we have said, `we'll leave you to it'.''

The no-exit road leads to Kidds Bush, owned by the Department of Conservation, and about 2km of it crosses Hunter Valley Station pastoral lease land.

The issue stems from the flooding of the original road

when the level of Lake Hawea was raised in the 1950s. The Ministry of Works shifted the road but did not complete the legalisation process.

The council has maintained the road for more than 50 years.

General manager of Landward Management, Ray Macleod, of Dunedin, said the council decision was ''the end'' of the issue. Mr Macleod, who has acted as spokesman for the station, was unaware of any further legal action being taken by the Crown.

''The Crown's position as I understand it was that it was between the QLDC and the land occupier.''

He regarded the council's decision as affirming the ''status quo'' - that the road was owned by the station and it could exercise its property rights.

A Wanaka spokeswoman for Doc said yesterday it was hoped to continue negotiations with the lessees, through the council, over access to Doc's campsite at Kidds Bush. The campsite attracts about 3500 adults and 1000 children each year.

mark.price@odt.co.nz

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