Minor wall to be removed

A small section of newly constructed stack stone wall on the Village Green will be removed tomorrow after a decision that the structure did not work as planned, Queenstown Lakes District Council roading manager Ian Marshall said.

“Originally the four metre, L-shaped configuration was in the plan to give protection to a tree. The tree was then located elsewhere because of a conflict with underground services and the small section of wall was kept in the plan because we thought it would still work quite well to channel pedestrian traffic,” Mr Marshall said.

In consultation with QLDC’s urban planner it was recognised that the small wall closed down a space unnecessarily, as a seat and refuse bins were also planned for the area.

“That would have made the walk space seem narrow. On balance, with the agreement of the landscape designer that the overall design would not be compromised, it was agreed the negatives outweighed the positives,’ Mr Marshall said.

The Village Green was critical to the heart of the central business district.

“We’d rather be up front and say we got it wrong with this one wall and remove the structure than put up with something that didn’t work for the community. The upgraded space is going to be very special,” Mr Marshall said.

He estimated the cost the small section of wall, both in terms of putting it up and taking it down as being in the vicinity of $2-3000.

The Village Green upgrade is scheduled to be completed at the end of September when large, steel etched panels reflecting the history of the area will be installed.