Council’s most important role is providing our community with good infrastructure. There are areas of the city that are growing and need new infrastructure but also older areas that need upgrades to support redevelopment.
Last week, we made progress on both by completing the Saxton flood resilience project and kicking off the design on the next big project, Bridge to Better.
Saxton Creek has been vulnerable to flooding for decades. It was particularly hammered in 2011 and 2013. The flooding not only caused havoc for businesses such as the Alliance meat works but also disrupted Main Road Stoke to Richmond.
This upgrade was also required to protect the massive development that has occurred in this area with the Wakatu Industrial Estate, Saxton Field sport facilities, Hill Street North housing subdivisions and the Summerset Richmond Ranges retirement village. The $40 million investment, of which $7.5 million came from Government, improves the flood capacity from a 1 in 5-year event to a 1 in 100-year event. I encourage ratepayers to check out the new walkway and wetland to appreciate the scale and quality of these completed works.
Council last week also progressed the Bridge to Better project by approving the street concept layout, which enables work on the developed design to commence. This $78 million project, of which $36.4 million is Government funded, is to facilitate new development. It involves a new flood gate at Saltwater Creek to prevent flooding of Wakatu Square during king tides and an extensive upgrade of the wastewater, stormwater and drinking water networks.
It also involves transforming Bridge Street into an attractive people-friendly retail and hospitality precinct. The street surface will be flush, there will be urban greening, wider footpaths and space for outside dining and seating areas. There will be the opportunity for public feedback on the design. Construction begins in 2025 with a new pump station on Paru Paru Road. We will need to work closely with Bridge Street businesses on the design and managing the disruption. Completion is due in 2027.
These infrastructure projects are all about improving Nelson’s resilience to storms and climate change and revitalising our city centre.
