Gladstone residents are angry and disappointed at being given just one week’s notice by Environment Southland that the serenity of their neighbourhood recreational haven and popular green belt would be further destroyed as part of ongoing flood protection works.

The Waihōpai River walkway before work began - this week - to remove the established native vegetation. Photo: Supplied

Environment Southland began the second phase of its stopbank flood protection work yesterday (Monday 2 Dec) to improve the integrity of the Waihōpai River stopbanks as part of a provincial-wide stopbank maintenance programme.

Work began on the other side of the river last year, removing vegetation and shrubbery, replacing it with grass as experts believe it offers more stability during flooding.

The work will stretch from Queens Drive to Dee Street, affecting some 100 houses, including the aesthetics of a popular walkway and cycle trail used by the Southland community.

About 20 affected residents met with Environment Southland after some received a pamphlet drop just a week ago warning about the work.

They aired concerns about the new eyesore, the environmental and light pollution from industrial sites previously masked by the 1.8m (6-foot) high vegetation, noise pollution and foul odour.

They also wanted dredging of the riverbed to be explored instead.

Resident Brendan Birse says last year’s vegetation removal already caused severe loss of amenity, his view reduced to a large concrete building and visible car wreckers’ yard full of rusty cars.

“This will make it even worse,” he says.

“Our grandkids use that park with the basketball hoop there and now it’ll be exposed entirely, beside a concrete wall and engineering yard,” he says.

He believes the stench of rotting cars will get worse and that the old cars are probably already seeping and could threaten the waterway.

Environment Southland has a duty to do its best to protect the area from flooding and ensure insurance requirements are met, Birse says. “I’ve been here 14 years and there’s been no significant flooding.”

The view after removal of the vegetation on the north side of the Waihopai River, the car wrecker’s yard visible in the distance. Photo: Supplied

Resident St John’s Girls’ School principal Nathan Hughes says the work will have a significant impact on the aesthetics of the riverbank track which is hugely popular with the community.

Even though the work is for future proofing reasons, he says it’s “obliterated the north bank of the river”.

“We won’t walk there now,” Hughes says. “It’s an absolute eyesore.”

He says it seems that Environment Southland promotes itself on social media as doing “necessary maintenance” which gathers positive public reaction.

“I’m certain it would be quite different if they publicised the specifics of what is about to happen.”

He says it’s disappointing that specific information about which vegetation was being removed wasn’t directly provided and had to be sought from Environment Southland.

“The sad thing is it’s just a box ticking exercise and all about money,” resident Hollie Longman says.

“I don’t think social or other environmental factors have been considered, nor have alternatives like selective removal.”

She’s very concerned about the light and visual pollution, as well as the threat to local wildlife and the vibrant ecosystem.

“The river is used by whitebaiters, and little kids play down there,” she says.

“The Gladstone Scouts use that area constantly. It’s a real asset. Environment Southland hasn’t done any maintenance in at least 20 years,” Longman, who grew up in Southland, says.

“It’s just such a pity we couldn’t stop it. We had a really good community turnout at the meeting, but with a week's warning, it was too late,” she says.

“It seems dim, dark and brutal to rip it all out without speaking to the community who use it. The vegetation was planted for a good reason. Even if they could’ve left some pockets as a screen and windbreaker, it would have made a huge difference” she says.

“Apparently it’s been two years in the making, but this is the first we knew about the work on this side of the stopbank.”

The area before vegetation was removed on the north side of the Waihopai River. Photo: Supplied

An Environment Southland spokesperson says she appreciates the notice given was “quite tight”.

“There’s a lot of feeling in the community and I absolutely understand why,” she says.

“Dredging is expensive, and you have to keep redoing it. It’s a short-term solution and getting consent could be challenging,” she says.

This phase of the work is expected to take two weeks.

Environment Southland catchment operations manager Randal Beal says trees and shrubs growing on stopbanks make them vulnerable to scouring.

The regional authority is bound by a bylaw and regulations that support the importance of grass cover on stopbanks.

The Waihōpai River’s tidal nature means the benefits of dredging would be short-term, not cost effective and have ecological impacts, Beal says.

Environment Southland has investigated options for restorative planting in more appropriate locations along the river with planting already underway near the Waihōpai Dam and lower end of Kingswell Creek.