Argument over new Milford bridge | Auckland News | Local News in Auckland

Wairau Creek is only a few metres wide at the last bend before it spills into Castor Bay. Shallow, too: at very low tide you can walk across it on a concrete path to Milford Reserve. But the latest plan to bridge it has created a gulf in the seaside suburb.

Auckland Council proposes to build a $2.56 million footbridge that can be raised when boats enter or leave nearby Milford Marina by the operator who controls Te Wero Bridge at Wynyard Quarter, watching a TV screen.

That is a recipe for disaster, says Lance Jones, secretary of Milford Mariners and one of 220 boaties who leave their moorings at high tide via the creek. The bridge will be unsafe and inconvenient, while residents will have to spend much of their day looking at a "big plank", their peace disturbed by ringing bells and sirens when boaties want it raised.

But Castor Bay Ratepayers and Residents Association says a bridge will make it easier for locals to walk along Milford Beach without having to travel 1km around the marina to the reserve at the end of Craig Rd.

Devonport-Takapuna Local Board has endorsed the idea, and a resource consent hearing is expected this year.

Mr Jones says boaties will have to phone or radio in to say they want to enter or leave the marina and someone will have to be watching the bridge.

"They [the council] believe it can be done remotely through CCTV by the the bridge operator at the Wynyard Quarter, but we're not convinced. We haven't found anywhere else in the world that uses this type of system and we don't want to be the guinea pigs."

When boats come down the narrow creek with a wind blowing, it's almost impossible for them to stop. He questions what will happen if pedestrians don't get off the bridge in time.

"You won't be able to open the bridge if someone stands on it. What if they stand on it deliberately? It's quite feasible and a recipe for disaster."

Milford Mariners, the marina users' body, has spent $20,000 on consultants and lawyers in an effort to have the plan dropped.

Milford Cruising Club, based on the reserve, also opposes the idea.

Mr Jones says the council heard last year that funds from the proposed $8.8 million Takapuna-Milford Walkway could be used for the bridge.

Ratepayers needed to know where their money was being spent. "This will benefit a small minority but the majority wouldn't mind if it's not there at all. Is it cost-effective, community-wide?"

Castor Bay ratepayers' secretary Fiona Downes says pedestrians could use the bridge all day, whatever the tide.

There were almost no boat movements between Monday and Friday apart from summer holidays. In winter, several weeks could pass without boats going out.

The bells and sirens would be heard only 50 or 60 times a year, as opposed to the mariners' preferred tidal option in which the bridge would go up and down with every tide change, regardless of boat traffic. The "big plank" would be lower than pohutukawa on Milford Reserve and be painted olive green to merge with foliage.

She says the low-tide path is slippery and unsafe. "Many people from all round the Shore like to walk the Milford to Takapuna coastal walk. Being able to park their car in Inga Rd and walk over the bridge will save driving to the
congested parking area at Milford Beach," says Ms Downes.

Alex McNaughten lives opposite the site and says it would be used by a "vast hinterland" of people in Castor Bay and Milford, making a more pleasant way to reach the beach than a narrow footpath with car exhaust fumes.

"The noise from the warning signals wouldn't cause as much irritation as the halyards on the yachts when the wind is blowing or the band playing at the cruising club on a Saturday night."

Colin Field, of the council's parks department, says it has committed to replacing the bridge and has set aside money, amended the reserve management plan and run a design competition.

The "on-demand bridge" was the most cost-effective option for the greatest number of users. Light and noise levels would comply with the District Plan.

Money would come from the local board but more  may have to be allocated from other projects.

Local board chair Chris Darby says it supports the bridge because it would give pedestrians access far and beyond other options.

"I'm determined to find an outcome the community has been wanting for a long time. I want to resolve it. The questions the mariners are asking are valid, but they're the very questions we've been asking at meetings with officers and experts. The answer is, there's a workable solution that won't impact the neighbourhood or the
community."

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