The Clutha District Council has thrown its weight behind plans to vastly improve one of the district's key tourist destinations.
It has agreed to work with the Department of Conservation (Doc) to investigate a series of improvements in the Nugget Point area while at the same time confirming it will start a detailed investigation into sealing the Nuggets Point road from Willsher Bay to the lighthouse car park.
A detailed report on the item, with those recommendations, was unaminously adopted with no debate from councillors on Thursday after the council was recently told it was almost assured to get major funding assistance for the seal extension.
Engineering and contracts manager Christian Bopp, who prepared the council report and was involved in lodging paperwork for the funding bid, was the most vocal at the meeting.
When asked if he had anything to add to his report, he stood up and calmly said "take the money and run . . . we will never get an opportunity like this again".
Doc has unveiled several plans to improve visitor facilities at and around Nugget Point.
They include developing a viewing hide at Roaring Bay, extending the bus park and installing new toilets there, upgrading the road end area to be more pedestrian-friendly, providing seating along the walking track to the lighthouse and redeveloping the lighthouse's viewing platform.
Doc staff have already briefed the council on its plans and wants to work with the local authority.
Mr Bopp said that was a good idea.
"It is, in view of the synergies of the Doc project and the future seal extension project of the Nuggets Rd, appropriate for discussions to be entered into with Doc to progress matters of mutual interest."
Earlier this month, the Otago regional land transport committee approved $1.06 million to the Clutha council so it could investigate, design and construct the seal extension.
Investigation and design will be carried out over the next 12 months.
Construction will start next year and finish in 2011.
