Yesterday marked a significant milestone with the official opening of the final section of the Chch Coastal Pathway at Moncks Bay – looks like it was great day for everyone there! It’s been a long time coming to fruition, and it’s interesting to think that way back in Dec 2014, plans for the previous section through Redcliffs were only just getting signed off…
A bit of good news just before Xmas with progress on the design for another part of the Chch Coastal Pathway. The Beachville Rd section in Redcliffs (between McCormacks Bay and the Redcliffs shops) has been endorsed by the Hagley/Ferrymead Community Board.
Initial designs were reviewed at a community workshop back in September. About 200 submissions from the local community were also considered by the Community Board.
The concept design largely comprises a 4m-wide shared asphalt pathway, although at the western end there is also a boardwalk section. At regular intervals there are also lookout platforms into the estuary. For the interim at least, the pathway doesn’t completely follow the shoreline, running along Beachville Rd in front of the coastline properties there.
At the eastern end, the pathway also incorporates a kids bike/scooter skills park, which received a lot of support from submitters.
The final engineering design plans for the Beachville section can now be completed. Funding of the actual works ($20 million cost for the whole 6.5km pathway, included associated works) are still contingent on the Coastal Pathway Group fundraising to meet the half share not currently budgeted by the City Council. So it may still be a few years away before you can ride on this.
Have you been looking forward to the Coastal Pathway completion?
Dang! The wealthy still maintain private property rights over the legal public access rights that exist along the shoreline of their houses. Unfortunately I am no longer fit enough to enforce these as a group of us did along the Avon River frontages. We used to run and hurdle their fences until they got the message and placed them back at the legal boundary leaving a really wide grassed public area.