A council workshop with the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board (WUCCB) last month (March 14) reviewed the proposed plans for stage five (S5) of Wānaka’s Lakefront Development Plan (LDP).

The objective is to connect the shared pathway for stage three from where it currently finishes at the Wānaka marina through to the yacht club and the start of the existing Eely Point track; guiding  pedestrians, cyclists and others safely through a busy boat-launching space, the council said. 

S5 was originally scheduled for completion by June this year but the delivery date has been pushed out to sometime during the next financial year, Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) media advisor Sam White said.

“The workshop was the first opportunity since October’s local elections for the new board to review the concept together and provide feedback in terms of what they were hearing from the community,” he said.

Public submissions were received by council on these in 2021. IMAGE: Supplied.

Public submissions on S5 concept plans closed in November 2021 but a year later Sam said detailed designs had been postponed “pending possible revisions to the concept design”.

There was “an opportunity to relocate the toilet and waste water pump station which could create a better route for the active travel path,” he said.

The WUCCB workshop considered the current concept plans in tandem with civil engineering investigations into existing underground services and what impact different construction options would have on them, Sam said. 

All existing facilities including the toilet block, boat ramp, yacht club and existing pathway to Eely Point were discussed at the workshop, he said.

The proposed path should make it safer for pedestrians and users to negotiate the busy foreshore area. PHOTO: Wānaka App

“The initial findings, coupled with the board’s feedback, were sufficient to confirm that there was no need to relocate the toilet block which would have significant implications for the project’s budget.”

A budget of $2.3M was set for S5, including central government tourism development funding of almost $782K. The exact budget will be determined by the detailed design and QLDC’s upcoming annual plan deliberations, Sam said.

Further engineering investigations will contribute to the detailed design for stage five and that design will be shared with the WUCCB when it is around 80 percent complete, he said. 

Stages four and five are all that remains to complete the LDP’s connections along the Roys Bay foreshore, from the Mt Aspiring Road carpark to the Yacht Club.

There’s no formal plan yet for stage four - the section of foreshore opposite the town’s centre.