Ladies Mile trees to get trim

Landmark trees along Ladies Mile threatened with the chop last year will get a trim next week, but their long-term future remains unclear.

In a press statement on Tuesday Aurora Energy announced the trees would get an ''annual trim'' to keep them a safe distance from overhead power lines.

None would be felled during the work, it said.

The company caused a public outcry 18 months ago when it said it would cut down the 29 trees because they were growing into the lines.

It backed down after a flurry of emails to then Queenstown Lakes Mayor Vanessa van Uden prompted her to call a meeting with the company.

Concerned residents also held a public meeting, organised an online petition and set up a short-lived crowdfunding web page to fund regular prunings.

The row of trees sits on private land beside State Highway 6, at the eastern approach to Queenstown. They are only metres from high-voltage lines supplying 2600 customers in the Arrowtown, Lower Shotover and Lake Hayes Estate areas.

The late Bill Walker tended the oak, cherry, beech, ash, maple, sweet chestnut and horse chestnut trees on his land for more than 25 years before his death in 2014.

His family later relinquished their interest in the trees, giving Aurora the authority to remove them.

Aurora spokesman Gary Johnson told the Otago Daily Times he understood the trees' long-term future was being considered by the Queenstown Lakes District Council as part of its ''wider development plan'' for the Ladies Mile area.

However, council parks and reserves planning manager Stephen Quin said that was not the case.

The council's role in determining the trees' future would be considered in the 2018-28 long-term plan process.

In the meantime, it is paying for annual trimmings organised by Aurora. Council spokesman Jimmy Sygrove said it allocated $10,000 a year in last year's annual plan to fund the work.

''That funding remains in place until 2019-20, and was included on the basis it would enable time to consider the options for the entrance to Queenstown.

''If there are no other factors in the interim, the funding will be reconsidered in 2019-20.''

The ODT reported last year the council proposed paying for half the estimated $1million cost of putting the power lines underground, provided Aurora paid for the other half.

It dropped the idea after the company refused.

Next week's pruning will be carried out between Monday and Friday, from 8.30am to 3.30pm. Speed will be restricted to 50kmh on Ladies Mile (State Highway 6) between Howards Dr and Mcdowell Dr (Threepwood) while the work is in progress.