A preliminary plan of action to help property-owners in the Moeraki "red zone" is to be developed , after the Waitaki District Council canvassed opinion from affected residents at a town meeting last week.
Land stability issues have plagued the Moeraki township since the 1880s, and were further highlighted in the wake of a report conducted by the Earthquake Commission and geological consultants Tonkin and Taylor last year.
As a result of the report, which is available to view on the council website, more than 70 properties were placed in a natural hazard red zone.
About 40 residents attended a meeting at the Moeraki Hall last Friday to discuss land stability issues, and council assets manager Neil Jorgensen said the meeting had helped identify a possible way forward.
"It was fantastic to have this much interest and to be able to have a conversation with the community on this matter. The purpose of the meeting was so council could put together all the information held by the community regarding how stormwater flowed through their properties and surrounds."
Issues raised by residents included the way water was conveyed both above and below ground in affected areas, as well as improvements to building consent processes to restrict residents' ability to build on unstable land, he said.
The need to protect property values was also discussed.
"Especially valuable" was information revealing the location of old springs and wells that were no longer visible from the surface, and the location of areas which had issues during rain, he said.
"A variety of challenges were identified, including stormwater being conveyed into the ground, unsealed ponds, old wells and springs, rudimentary drainage pipes and ditches in private property and along roads.
"These were plotted on to maps for council to use."
It would be several months before a plan was ready for further input from the Moeraki community, but the meeting had provided a "valuable opportunity" to ensure the right decisions could be made, he said.
"Council will now consider the information from the meeting and put together a plan or options of how the land stability challenges identified could be minimised."
