Excited by the possibilities presented by the new
Portobello jetty are (left to right) Otago Peninsula board
member Lox Kellas, Portobello Inc fundraiser Luke
McClelland, community board chairman John Bellamy and
Portobello Inc chairwoman Christine Neill. Photo by Gerard
O'Brien.
By summer, Portobello will have a new jetty replacing a
decrepit structure, opening Otago Harbour once more for
recreation from the village, excited community leaders say.
Otago Peninsula community board chairman John Bellamy said
the jetty, a portion of which had survived from the original
1870 structure, had not been suitable for ferries since the
1940s.
The Dunedin City Council was going ahead with the development
because community fundraiser Portobello Inc had acquired the
agreed proportion of the $382,000 project, he said.
The jetty would be demolished and replaced by a timber-piled
wharf with concrete decking and a steel berthing pontoon,
constructed by Amalgamated Builders.
Mr Bellamy said he was pleasantly surprised the council had
indicated the work would start this September, and be
finished in early summer. The jetty presented huge
opportunities in tourism and recreation, as Portobello tended
to miss out through the lack of a serviceable jetty.
The development created links to Port Chalmers and Quarantine
Island.
Portobello Inc chairwoman Christine Neill expected an
increase in the number of casual visitors to Portobello,
supporting businesses and livening up the village in the
warmer months.
The newly restored harbour ferry Elsie Evans was just one of
many vessels the jetty could welcome, she said.
Coastguard Dunedin would also be able to use the facility,
and in time, depending on further reclamation and
development, the jetty could become its base.
Portobello Inc member Luke McClelland said the fundraising
group had had to work hard to obtain funds because of the
Christchurch earthquake, Rugby World Cup, and tight financial
times. A small amount was still to be raised, but community
events would be held, rather than approach funding trusts.
Portobello's history was closely linked with the harbour, and
the new jetty restored safe access to it, Mr McClelland said.
Wood salvaged from the demolition would be put to use in the
community, for carvings and other decorative uses.
eileen.goodwin@odt.co.nz
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