Two southern councils in court over Mataura River bridge consents

Tuesday, 26 October 2021

An artist impression of a proposed bridge across the Mataura River, which is the subject of an Environment Court hearing in Invercargill this week. [File photo]

Users of a proposed “landmark” bridge across the Mataura River might be able to see into at least one nearby house, according to an expert witness.

The consents for the planned Longford Bridge in Gore are at dispute in the Environment Court this week.

The Waimea Plains Landscape Preservation Society is appealing the resource consents for the cycling and pedestrian bridge.

A two-day hearing in the Environment Court at Invercargill began on Tuesday. The Gore District Council and Environment Southland are the respondents.

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Landscape architect Yvonne Pflüger was called by the district council as an expert witness.

Preservation society chair David Gray was representing the society in court, and he cross-examined Pflüger.

She said someone would be able to see into a house in nearby Huron St from the proposed bridge, but that it would be from “some distance” and there would not be anything distinguishable.

The 39-metre structure would be prominent but not dominant, Pflüger said.

The society is appealing the consents for the project, and contend the construction would be a blight on the rural outlook of the Waimea Plains.

The society also takes issue with the consultation of directly affected parties. They say they object to it being in a flood plain, the bridge obstructs views, and they take issue with effects on privacy and the landscape.

Lawyer for the district council, Sarah Eveleigh, in an opening statement on Tuesday, said the appeal should be dismissed.

The bridge would allow for critical water infrastructure upgrades, and provide cycling and walking routes, Eveleigh said.

The proposed site of the bridge was the narrowest point of the Mataura River, had no structures in the riverbed, and would allow a one-in-fifty year flood to pass, she said.

The lightweight, low bulk structure minimised effects, and the design would be a landmark and create a sense of place, Eveleigh said.

She called council chief executive Steve Parry as a witness, and two of his written statements were submitted as evidence, but they were not read to the court.

During cross-examination, Parry said while Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency convened “stakeholder workshops” about the bridge in August and November 2018, the interests of some local residents would have been represented.

The proposed bridge would be near the intersection of Church and Huron streets on the east bank of the river, and Surrey St on the west bank, about 650 metres upstream of the SH1 Gore traffic bridge.

When taking questions from Judge Prudence Steven QC, and commissioner James Baines, Parry said the SH1 bridge was from about the 1930s, and the council saw an opportunity to look at a new structure that would improve connectivity between east and west Gore.

The hearing is expected to continue on Wednesday.