Plans to build a huge debris net for the Awatarariki Stream catchment at Matata are on hold to allow the Whakatane District Council time to gain further detailed advice on the viability of the project.

An engineering peer review report on the structure was considered in a 'public excluded” section of the Council meeting on March 7.

Floods swept through Matata in the Eastern Bay of Plenty in 2005, destroying many homes. Photo: Civil Defence.

Mayor Tony Bonne says the Council is always reluctant to consider matters of importance to the community in private, but in this instance, Councillors needed the opportunity to be updated on the implications of the latest engineering advice on the structure before meeting with affected property owners.

'It's now approaching seven years since the extreme debris and flooding event which devastated Matata,” says Tony.

'Most of the devastation was caused by the debris flow from the Awatarariki catchment and it's clearly a matter of urgency we clarify our plans quickly so the community knows what level of protection can be provided from future flooding.”

The peer review confirmed advice from the Council's engineering consultants recommending no further work be undertaken on the detailed design or the resource consent for the structure until a complete review of the project is complete.

Concerns raised during the meeting include:

*A threefold increase in the estimated construction cost for the project, the latest estimate being $5 million to $7 million.

*After any flood, debris caught by the net would have to be removed to restore the structure's function. The cost of removing the debris deposited in 2005 is estimated to be at least $5 million.

*A structure of the scale planned has to be considered 'untested” (the Awatarariki net structure would have to detain up to 250,000 cubic metres of debris, a loading significantly higher than achieved by successful debris net structures anywhere else).

'If increased residential development occurred in the Awatarariki Stream 'fanhead” area, based on the expectation that construction of the planned structure would prevent future debris flows, the risk to property and to human life would be greatly increased if the structure failed, or was exposed to a larger debris flow than it was designed for,” says Tony.

The Council shares the disappointment and frustration with property owners and occupiers in the affected area of Matata will feel at the new delay.

'But under the circumstances, we believe there is no alternative other than to urgently gather the information we need to make an informed and responsible decision on how to proceed.”

Councillors and Council staff met with affected property owners in Matata on Saturday to inform them of developments.

Follow-up letters will be sent to the owners of all properties in Awatarariki Stream fanhead area and a newsletter will be produced for the wider Matata community, as soon as there is progress to report.