Maintenance may be limited on the road used by visitors to
the Ahuriri Valley. Photo by DOC.
The road into Birchwood Station homestead, owned by the
Department of Conservation as part of its Ahuriri Conservation
Park, will not be maintained by the Waitaki District Council to
the level it was.
Now used by visitors to the conservation park, the Ahuriri
Community Board has recommended Birchwood Rd not be
maintained past the last property paying rates to the Waitaki
council.
The department does not pay rates, meaning Birchwood Rd
maintenance will stop about 6km from the Birchwood Homestead.
The National Heritage Fund bought the 23,783ha Birchwood
property to form a major part of the conservation park,
opened in March 2005.
The council's roading assets manager, Geoff Young, said
yesterday that, as a result of the board's recommendation and
discussions with the neighbouring Ben Avon Station,
maintenance had stopped on the road beyond the Ben Avon
lagoons.
He emphasised this was an interim measure pending discussions
between the council and department and a decision from the
council's review of its roading network policy.
Birchwood Rd as far as the Birchwood homestead received
regular maintenance by grading and repairs after damage,
particularly from flooding when streams washed debris across
it.
The road was "high maintenance" because of the number of
vehicles now using it to access Birchwood and the
conservation park and because there was a lot of scouring
during rain.
"There is a high cost of repairs every time it rains because
of the number of creeks and streams which wash gravel and
stones across the road," he said.
Mr Young said the 6km to the Birchwood Homestead would now be
maintained as four-wheel-drive and emergency access.
"We will not be putting the same amount of effort into
[maintaining] it," he said.
However, at present, it was negotiable by car with care over
some patches.
Apart from its existing attraction, the department has major
plans to develop the Birchwood Station homestead in the
Ahuriri Valley to make it a focal point for the Ahuriri
Conservation Park.
david.bruce@odt.co.nz
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