Weka Designation Approved

A Taupo District Council application for a Notice of Designation to confirm the route for a proposed new 13 kilometre road between Taupo and Kinloch has been approved, subject to conditions.



The application which was heard over three days in November last year by three independent commissioners attracted ninety nine submissions. Around 76 submissions opposed the designation.



In a written decision the commissioners approved the Notice of Requirement for designation of the West Kinloch Arterial (WeKA) subject to a number of conditions. Council’s bid to get the designation for 20 years was not successful with the commissioners determining it would it would lapse 10 years after the date it is included in the District Plan.



The proposed WeKA road runs from a new roundabout on State Highway 1 at the existing Huka Falls intersection linking with Poihipi Road and running through the Mapara Valley connecting with Whangamata Road near Kinloch.



The commissioners said construction of WeKA complied with the purpose and principles of the Resource Management Act and would “safely and efficiently provide for access between Taupo town and Kinloch”. The decision said that the adverse affects could be mitigated, and would not outweigh the benefits of the proposed road.



The Commissioners said that the 10 year lapse period was a “reasonable compromise” that recognised funding had yet to be determined for the project through Council’s Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP). It also provided a “window of certainty” to affected landowners by giving them an indication of when the project would need to proceed. The decision is subject to a 15 working day appeal period for submitters to the application.



The need for Council to plan for a new arterial route between Taupo and Kinloch to cater for projected future growth west of Taupo is identified in Council’s growth management strategy – Taupo District 2050.



Chairman of the Taupo/Kaingaroa-Mangakino/Pouakani committee Kathryn Uvhagen said discussions about funding options and a timetable for design and construction were due to get underway in the second half of the year when Council began the process of updating its Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) for the 10 year period from 2009-2019. In the meantime Council wanted to protect the route with a designation in the District Plan to avoid it being compromised by other development in the short to medium term, she said.