Neither the Thames-Coromandel nor Hauraki District councils want the old Kopu bridge kept if it means lumping future costs onto ratepayers.

On Monday Coromandel MP Scott Simpson called for the 87-year-old bridge to be demolished, describing it as 'a derelict eyesore” that has visibly deteriorated over the last three years.

Both Thames-Coromandel and Hauraki District councils do not want to see the old Kopu bridge retained if it means future costs on ratepayers. Photo: Wikipedia

Scott appealed to 'the powers that be” – that being the NZ Transport Agency who own the bridge – to stick to the original plan of demolishing it.

His comments were met with disbelief by Historic Kopu Bridge Society chairman Gary Blake, who is also desperate for a resolution but says the bridge is 'far too valuable to wreck.”

The society has been lobbying the Thames-Coromandel District Council to support retaining the bridge, which was declared surplus to requirements by the NZTA.

Mayor Glenn Leach says from TCDC's perspective there is no decision required by them as they considered the matter and made a resolution during last October's council meeting.

'We have supported the Historic Kopu Bridge Society subject to them meeting conditions set out at that council meeting,” says Glenn. 'They are currently trying to meet the conditions by securing an external funding stream.

'The time frame for removal is in NZTA hands and it's over to the Historic Bridge Society to satisfy NZTA, iwi and then our council of their proposal.”

During the October meeting, the TCDC supported the retention of the old Kopu bridge in principle, conditional upon measures being achieved to remove all risk of future cost to the ratepayer.

Those measures include: a long-term, transferrable resource consent for future demolition achieved by the NZTA, certainty of operation, maintenance, and financial self-sustainability by an external management entity, plus certainty on the adequacy of future demolition funding received from NZTA.

Glenn says if the bridge is demolished the TCDC will oppose any partial demolition proposals retaining only part sections of the bridge structure.

Adding to that, if the bridge is demolished the swing arm should be located on land at a site agreed on by the Thames-Coromandel and Hauraki District council, at the NZTA's cost.

An artist's impression of the Kopu Bridge monument. Images: NZTA

The TCDC understands that NZTA are in the process of preparing resource consent applications to demolish the historic bridge.

While there are no timeframes, it is expected that consents would be lodged before the end of the year.

'If in the event NZTA get consent to demolish and the Society can't satisfy our conditions then the bridge should be removed.”

TCDC's view is shared by the Hauraki District Council which believes that if the old Kopu bridge is retained it should not be at a financial charge to the local ratepayers.

Chief executive Langley Cavers adds the Hauraki council would also not risk any liability or responsibility for the bridge via the actions, inactions or default of a third party.

'When the resource consent was first issued for the replacement bridge Hauraki District Council appealed to the Environment Court on the issue that the future liability for the old bridge had not been adequately addressed.

'In the absence of any proposals that protected the Hauraki District Council ratepayers from exposure to financial costs associated with the removal or maintenance of the old bridge, council's position was that the bridge should be removed.”

Langely says to date he has not seen any business case for the preservation of the old bridge that meets council's requirement of no potential future liability.

'In this case the Hauraki District Councils position is still that the old bridge should be removed.”

For more information the NZTA's website at: www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/kopubridge or the Thames-Coromandel District Council's website at: www.tcdc.govt.nz/oldkopubridge