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An unusable public walkway linking homes with schools and shops will be reconstructed after a Kaipara councillor prevented the work from getting kicked further down the proverbial footpath.
Connecting Weka Street with Urlich Drive, the 26-metre walkway was drawn into the Longview Estate subdivision plans in 2009 to allow residents an alternative access out of the suburb, which only has one exit onto Molesworth Drive.
In 2020, the strip of land was vested to Kaipara District Council, but the grass path was left unformed. Now rutted and overgrown due to stormwater erosion, council deemed the accessway a hazard last October and erected signage restricting public use.
After consultation with Kaiwaka-Mangawhai councillor Rachael Williams, residents presented council with a 115-signature petition last December, requesting the formation of the walkway, as well as an investigation into the development contributions that were allegedly paid to council to establish the path. Development contributions are charged to ensure infrastructure costs from developments are not imposed on the community.
At a council meeting on February 26, a recommendation to slot the work into the Annual 2026-27 financial plan was vetoed after Cr Williams presented an alternative motion, seconded by deputy mayor Jonathan Larsen, to have construction included in the current 2025/26 financial year, paid by the Financial Contributions Reserve.
In her statement, Cr Williams said that the subdivision was fully staged and 15 years on, residents were still waiting for the pathway to be completed.
“So far, all that’s been done is the erection of signs saying ‘Not for public use’ and the path has been used as a stormwater overflow path. A further point is that Longview has only one-exit/entry point leading onto the busy Molesworth Drive, there are no other walkways,” she said. “During the recent tornado, the unfinished walkway was the only access point for friends and family to bring supplies in and support residents. The location is also safer and quieter for children walking to school so I support moving this work along a bit quicker.”
Although Longview Estate developers paid nearly $1 million in development charges, an investigation by council staff showed that the walkway was not included in the Development Contributions Policy, so no money was collected for its construction.
Council resource consents manager Lloyd Barton said the accessway was a “sort-of future-proofing” for further development in the vicinity.
“The planners probably thought it was a good idea back then. Obviously, the need for it has grown as surrounding development has occurred.”
Costs to construct the Weka Street pathway including stormwater improvements are estimated to be around $65,000. However, the price could significantly increase following a more detailed investigation into managing the stormwater discharge.
Councillors agreed that the Financial Contributions Reserves fund was appropriate to complete the public walkway in the 25/26 financial year, and were generally supportive of the motion, which was unanimously carried.
