After months of debate, petitions and appeals, an opening and another closure, the Dunedin City Council is finally considering consulting the public on plans for John Wilson Ocean Dr.
Councillors at Monday's full council meeting will study a staff report outlining why plans to block vehicles permanently from the coastal road to Lawyers Head should be put out for public consultation.
1The report, by council reserves estate officer Judy Milward, was requested by councillors at last month's community development committee meeting.
It was at that committee meeting that a small majority of councillors indicated, by one vote, their preferred option was the road's permanent closure to vehicles, to improve public safety.
However, the report to be considered on Monday says the road is not a legal road, but a way of access that forms part of the Ocean Beach Domain.
It is mentioned in the domain's management plan.
The management plan requires consultation as part of any change to the plan, and the Reserves Act 1977 requires compliance with the management plan.
Asked yesterday if that meant previous decisions on John Wilson Ocean Dr, made without formal consultation, were wrong, committee chairman Cr Paul Hudson said: "No, but you would have to ask [Mayor] Peter [Chin] that.
That was something he made the decision on and it was confirmed by the council."
Mr Chin, contacted in Wellington, said he was confident previous decisions were the right ones.
"As far as I'm concerned, what we have done up until now stands. As we proceed further, whatever the decision of the council will be on Monday . . . will be the way forward."
In October, Mr Chin ordered the closure of the road, a fortnight after it reopened, in the interests of public safety, after a death at Lawyers Head.
His actions later won retrospective approval by councillors after a vote.
Cr Hudson said the exact form consultation would take, the options it would include and even whether it proceeded or not, would depend on councillors' intentions at Monday's meeting.
Councillors at the last committee meeting had supported closure of the road, but several were absent and could sway the result of Monday's final vote, he said.
"Their view may well be different . . . I hope it [consultation] goes ahead. I believe it's something that's important."
If it proceeded, public notification of the council's plans was expected early next year and would include a public hearing.
An amended domain management plan that resulted, including the chosen option for the road, would need final approval by the council and Conservation Minister Tim Groser.
The entire process was expected to take about nine months.
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