Our Council: e-Newsletter

Council has awarded engineering consultant Beca the contract for substantive design of the Milton to Waihola water pipeline project. Beca will build on the preliminary design work it started in 2017 with further engineering design and site investigation works. This work will lead in to the awarding in mid-2022 of a council contract to build the 16km pipeline with an estimated materials cost of $2 million. 

Waihola's current water demand is at capacity, and with the township experiencing strong economic growth, future demand is expected to more than double. As well as responding to the strong demand for new housing in Waihola, the project is expected to contribute to the wider prosperity of Clutha district. 

A project which will help council meet national drinking water standards is a step closer to fruition. Beca has been given interim approval to do further design work for the Greenfield Rural Water Supply project. Final contractual approval will depend on production bore test results. 

The project will improve quality and supply of drinking water in rural water supplies to Balmoral, Tuapeka and Lawrence through provision of a new bore source and amalgamation of existing supply schemes. 

Existing water supplies are subject to frequent Boil Water notices and do not meet current/future drinking water standards. 

The project involves six pumping stations and a network of 41km of pipework. Beca started preliminary design on council's behalf and will now carry out further engineering design and site investigation works. 

Council will investigate the feasibility of taking over privately-owned infrastructure in Waipori Falls, which if this occurred, would see it become public infrastructure. 

The extent of necessary upgrades and funding options to bring this infrastructure, currently owned by a body corporate at Waipori Falls, up to an acceptable standard, will have to be quantified before council decides finally whether to take it over. 

The infrastructure under consideration includes the village's water treatment supply, Goy’s Track Bridge, and the small sewerage treatment system, all of which have issues, the extent of which council does not yet know. 

Council is not legally required to agree to the request from the body corporate to take over the infrastructure.  

Council has approved a final version of a Reserve Management Plan for reserves in Lawrence-Tuapeka, paving the way for it to be implemented. 

The plan retains motocross activity (a focus of many submitters) on the Lawrence Gymkhana Club grounds. 

In the leadup to the plan's adoption, councillors also agreed that separate work will be undertaken to manage lease arrangements and management plans for activities. 

The outcomes from this work was canvassed in a staff report to councillors. The 10-year plan (2021-2031) is the first to be developed for CDC-administered reserves in the Lawrence-Tuapeka ward and attracted nearly 100 submissions. 

Reserve land in Balclutha has been approved to be used to accommodate a planned mountain bike park on the site. 

Teenagers Connor Bond and Jak Buckingham sought support from council at the Long Term Plan 2021-31 hearings earlier this year for their initiative - the Clutha Mountain Bike Downhill Park project, the site of which is located between the Kaitangata-Balclutha highway and the Balclutha Golf Club. 

A governance group was formed, with support from council staff and now that the land has been released, it can work towards establishing the park.. 

A special consultative procedure will be used to seek public feedback on the Easter Sunday Shop Trading Policy Review report, approved in draft form by councillors. 

The policy applies to all of Clutha district and allows shops the choice of opening for trade on Easter Sunday every year. The draft 2022 policy is a continuation of the existing policy with minor updates to align it with current council policy standards. 

Consultation information will be available on Council’s website 16 December 2021 – 18 January 2022. Verbal submissions will be heard by Council at their meeting of 17 February 2022.