The dredging around the Jack's Point boat ramp has been so successful there's now access at the ramp three hours either side of high tide, says the Thames-Coromandel District Council.

The purpose of the dredging was to remove excess silt around the ramp located beside Patukirikiri Reserve in Coromandel Town, plus improve boat launching and retrieving.

We encourage recreational boaties and fishers to use this much-improved facility and we hope to make more improvements at Jack's Point so it can be used more,” says a TCDC spokesperson.

'With that in mind, this summer we're monitoring the usage of the ramp to determine whether it's worth investing further in this facility over the next few years.”

The proposed improvements to the ramp and the budgets were submitted to the Coromandel-Colville Community Board this year, for which they approved $70,000 in funding, have since evolved into what council believes is a better design following more detailed work and discussions.

A 2017/18 Annual Plan submission has also been made and council hopes to commence with detailed design, consultation and consenting as the next major steps for the boat ramp.

'If we proceed with the development of Jack's Point it's estimated that 370m3 of soft material will need to be removed, plus 280m3 of deeper material.

'The 280m3 of deeper material, which may potentially be contaminated, could be moved to Hampton Downs or an approved landfill site depending on the test results.”

In the interim a new resource consent will need to be sought, which would include the additional dredging requirements.

'The current ramp acts as a silt trap, so the new ramp will provide a much-improved orientation, allowing natural water flow towards the harbour rather than perpendicular to it.

'This in itself will provide an element of self-cleaning.”

For more information visit the Thames-Coromandel District Council website at: www.tcdc.govt.nz/boatramps