New mountain bike park approved

Riders will have access to land that was initially going to be used as a wastewater disposal field. Photo / File

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council has approved the development of a new mountain-bike park in Central Hawke's Bay, using land it originally purchased for use as a wastewater disposal forestry block.

Staff have been working with the Central Hawke's Bay Rotary Pathways Charitable Trust since mid-2013 planning the routes for two pathways covering some of the council's river berm and stopbanks in the area. Construction is to start after Easter.

Under the current annual plan, the council committed to provide up to $100,000 of funding for the development of new cycleways around Waipukurau and Waipawa. At the same time, the trust has proposed to develop the forestry block of council land near Tukituki River as a mountain-bike park.

The council bought the bare land in 2012 with the intent of using it as a wastewater disposal field to assist the Central Hawkes' Bay District Council with its sewage-plant upgrade.

However, CHB District Council adopted a floating-wetland treatment model, reducing the original multi-purpose land to that of a mixed forest investment.

HBRC councillors have approved the mountain-bike park initiative, subject to lease conditions.

It will not charge the Pathways Trust to use the land as a community facility but the trust will be responsible for constructing tracks in the block, taking into account stormwater management and other factors.

It will need to maintain and repair any assets it creates, including meeting conditions for the use of the land for forestry. The trust will allow public access to the mountain-bike track network but may charge a fee to cover maintenance costs. The trust was aware that the repurposed land use would be reviewed if, in the future, the site was needed for wastewater disposal. In the interim, the site looks likely to gain a new lease of life for kids of all ages.