Queenstown Lakes District Council roading manager Ian Marshall yesterday presented a proposal to protect the town's historic cottages from stormwater damage by upgrading Buckingham St.
The historic trees along the street were causing upheaval to the adjacent cottages, road and footpath, he reported.
"The cottages have low floor levels which flood during significant rain events and any construction-excavation to rectify this stormwater issue, may be detrimental to the trees' health," he added.
The trees, which form a landmark entrance to the town's main street, are labelled as protected heritage items in Queenstown Lakes District.
The cottages were bought by the council in 2007 for $1.9 million, to save them from neglect, and are being restored by the Arrowtown Cottages Trust.
Mr Marshall offered several options for solving the road run-off problem, including a preferred solution of removing parallel parking on the north side near the cottages and redirecting the water away, which would allow increased water infiltration to the trees.
However, he also cautioned that the project presented key risks, among them risk to the tree roots which "may prove fatal to the trees".
Negative feedback from the community was also identified as a potential risk.
Before any work could go ahead with the proposed upgrade, QLDC needed to consult the community and stakeholders, he said.
These included the Arrowtown Business Association, the Ratepayers Association, the town's Heritage Group, an arboricultural consultant and the Arrowtown Cottages Trustees.
The utilities committee agreed to approve an upgrade scoping report and progress it to the concept, design and consultation stage, which would include a tree assessment, to evaluate the impact of the work and minimise damage to the trees.
