Greater Wellington — Flood protection – Hutt Central from just north of Ewen Bridge to Kennedy-Good Bridge

Hutt CBD flood protection project enters new stage

The Hutt Valley community spoke loudly and clearly last year that it favours Option A flood protection in which we will move to building 1 in 400 year protection in one step within five years, a verdict that was agreed to by the Hutt Valley Flood Management Subcommittee and the GWRC late last year:

The focus of preliminary design now, therefore, is Option A – One Step where we provide 1 in 440 year return period flood protection that includes an allowance for climate change (by enlarging and moving stopbanks further west into Pharazyn and Marsden streets, which will require purchase and removal of property on those streets). Going straight to this option would cost about $143 million, including property purchase.

Over the next 18 months GWRC will work with Hutt City Council, NZ Transport Agency and a range of consultants to plan and design the project, culminating in a Preliminary Design Report to be published in August 2017 ahead of applications for resource consents in 2018.

The report will provide full details of the key phases of the project: costings, river channel design works, stopbanks design, transport linkages, urban and landscape design and civil works. Each of these areas will be covered in a separate plan and brought together in the final report.

The details of each key phase are as follows:

Design phase	What does this cover?	Release date
River channel design works	Charts the exact shape of the river channel between Kennedy Good Bridge to Ewen Bridge Designs river edge protection Sources construction materials	Feb 17
Stopbank design	Decides exact location (“footprint”) Develops stopbank profiles for community viewing Works out relocation of services and utilities (power lines etc)	Feb 17
Urban works and landscaping	Reviews the river corridor’s environment Decides on matters such as environment and amenities (planting, recreation options etc)	Mar 17
Civil works	Identifies treatment of Daly St Considers links with stopbanks Decides cycle/way pedestrian bridge options Reviews Melling Bridge options	Mar17
Transport design	Discovers impact of project on local transport network Works out improvements to Daly St Develops options for impact on Pharazyn St Plan car parking Reviews the layout of Melling Station and adjacent parking and bridge access	Mar 17
Melling intersection	Completes the first stage of the NZ Transport Agency business case to concept design stage.	June 17
Final Preliminary Design Report	Presents all phases	Aug 17
Construction begins		2018/2019

Community engagement on preliminary designs

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In Stage One of the project we engaged with the community to explain the flood protection issue, outline flood protection options and identify its preferred approach. In Stage Two we will gather feedback on our approach to the detailed design of Option A. We’ll seek you’re your views on different elements of the design as they are produced, and on the full Preliminary Design in August 2017. We’ll also issue progress updates as we go.

Once the design is finalised and agreed by the Hutt Valley Flood Management Subcommittee and the full GWRC in 2018 it will be submitted for resource consents. The public will then have a formal opportunity to comment on the designs.

Lower Hutt CBD’s riverside city

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One of the key elements of Option A is the ways its riverside promenade design will help link the CBD to the river and provide great opportunities for commercial, recreational and residential development. Precisely on how this will come together won’t be available until March 2017, even then making the plan a success will depend on the willingness of entrepreneurs and developers to get involved once the infrastructure is developed along the stopbanks and in the linking streets.

More information on Hutt City Council’s approach to breathing more life into its CBD, is available on their website.

Transport plans begin to take shape

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The New Zealand Transport Agency’s review of the Melling intersection and bridge, both of which are integral to the flood protection and transport flow elements of the project, will begin in July 2016 with the development of an indicative business case. This will be completed by July next year. Detailed planning will then go ahead on final designs, which will take a further year to complete.

Property purchase programme

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One of the consequences of the moving to Option A is that the stopbanks on the Hutt River’s western side will need to be heightened and pushed out into Melling, requiring some property to make way.

One hundred and seventeen properties will be affected on Marsden St and Pharazyn St. All owners and residents are aware of this and we have been involved in discussions with owners about their circumstances.

Also two properties on the eastern side of the river upstream of the Melling Bridge will need to be acquired to enable us to link the recently upgraded stopbank near the Boulcott Golf course to the Melling Bridge and we have been in discussion with owners there, too.

We recently issued a property strategy which outlines the approach we will take to acquiring and managing properties throughout the project and reinforces our primary goal of treating property owners fairly and with respect.

Given that we are years away from beginning construction there is no need for owners to make quick decisions on the sale of their property. We will continue to keep them fully informed of all matters that affect them. If there is a genuine need to sell soon we will be happy to negotiate with them.

About the chosen option

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Based on a thorough analysis of 10 options, the followi9ng option was favoured by the community after extensive public consultation:

Option A – One Step where we provide 1 in 440 year return period flood protection that includes an allowance for climate change (by enlarging and moving stopbanks further west into Pharazyn and Marsden streets, which will require purchase and removal of property on those streets)

Going straight to this option would cost about $143 million, including property purchase.

Flooding on the Hutt River – a constant threat

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Since settlement began, the Hutt River has had a history of floods which have caused emotional and financial damage to the people and businesses of the Hutt Valley.

Consistent flooding has occurred since recording began in 1855 and, with the onset of climate change and the likelihood of more volatile weather, it's sure to continue into the future.

The current stopbanks are mostly high enough to contain a 1-in-100 year flood but in some sections they are too weak to do so.

The Hutt Valley Floodplain Management Plan was agreed with the Hutt community in 2001 and aims to minimise the flood risk by progressively strengthening flood protection throughout the valley.

GWRC is continuing to follow the plan and is now collaborating with HCC on measures to better protect the Lower Hutt CBD and its surrounding neighbourhoods from flooding and better link the CBD to the Hutt River.

The New Zealand Transport Agency is also involved in the project and investigations are under way into the replacement of Melling Bridge and a new intersection serving the bridge and SH2.

Flood protection options

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Option B – Two Steps where we take a staged approach (by building flood protection within the existing corridor to a slightly lower standard) which would initially require no property purchases then, in around 20 years, move to the higher Option A flood protection standards for completion in around 30 years to allow for increased river flows driven by climate change.

Going with this option would cost about $114 million but would increase by an additional $68 million to a total cost of $182 million.

Publications

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Media release

Hutt CBD flood protection scheme takes a step closer

Newsletters

RiverLink - Newsletter #3, September 2016

Better flood protection, lifestyle, transport links for central Hutt

Welcome to RiverLink, in which we’ll keep you up to date with the progress of the former Hutt City Centre Upgrade Project,… Read more here

Published 01 Sep 2016

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Hutt CBD Flood Protection Document Library

Hutt Central Upgrade Stage Two – Questions and Answers

In this column we’ll answer your questions on Stage Two of the Hutt Central Upgrade. Read more here

Published 27 May 2016

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Hutt River City Centre Upgrade - Preliminary land requirement plan

Read more here

Published 15 Apr 2016

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HUTT RIVER CITY CENTRE SECTION UPGRADE PROJECT OPTIONS EVALUATION REPORT

The following report presents the outcomes of the process to identify and evaluate options to upgrade the City Centre Section of the Hutt River (between Kennedy-Good and Ewen Bridges –… Read more here

Published 19 Jul 2015

Download now (PDF 7.5 MB)

GWRC Council Report - Hutt River City Centre Upgrade Project

PurposeTo advise the Council on Integrated Concept Design options for the Hutt River City Centre Project and to seek Council approval of two options for community consultation. Read more here

Published 22 Jun 2015

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Hutt River City Centre Upgrade Project River Corridor Options Report

The Hutt River City Centre Upgrade Project (HRCCUP) is a joint initiative between Greater Wellington Regional Council (GW), Hutt City Council (HCC) and New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) to improve… Read more here

Published 17 Sep 2015

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Melling Gateway Strategic Case

Enabling a more resilient and accessible Hutt City

Strategic Assessment and Funding Application to proceed to programme development Read more here

Published 12 Nov 2014

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Flood Protection: Option Flexibility and its Value

This paper looks at the value of pursuing flood protection options that are flexible, rather than adopting a single solution that cannot be adapted to deal with changing and unpredictable external… Read more here

Published 01 Jul 2015

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Getting it together - Better flood protection, traffic flow and lifestyle in the Hutt City Centre

The Hutt River has a long history of flooding, which can cause damage to property and businesses, and can result in loss of life. As weather becomes more volatile with… Read more here

Published 01 Aug 2015

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Damwatch Report - Hutt River Floodplain Management Plan

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Published 17 Aug 2009

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Hutt River Trail User Survey - Kennedy Good to Ewen Bridges - FINAL REPORT

This project surveyed users on the Kennedy Good Bridge (KGB) to Ewen Bridge section of the Hutt River Trail over a 5-week period from November to December 2009. This resulted… Read more here

Published 01 Mar 2010

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Hutt Valley Flood Management Subcommittee report - Mills St - August 09

PurposeTo advise the Hutt River Advisory Subcommittee on alignment options for the Mills Street stopbank and to seek the Subcommittee recommendation on the preferred alignment. Read more here

Published 09 Aug 2009

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