Westport has been repeatedly inundated by flooding since European settlement but that has escalated in recent years. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Buller councillors will next week decide whether to advance a plan to relocate Westport.
The West Coast town had been repeatedly inundated by flooding since European settlement but that had escalated in recent years.
The Buller River spilled through the town regularly with July 2021's flood particularly devastating.
A draft master plan proposed relocating the town to government-owned Pāmu-Landcorp farmland southwest of its current location.
On Wednesday, councillors would decide whether to endorse the plan or not.
If agreed, the council would have a range of options, including seeking external seed funding, progressing discussions with Landcorp and investigating the establishment of the legal entity to drive the work.
Buller District Council chief executive Simon Pickford said there appeared to be a solid level of support for the plan with 77 percent of people agreeing with the approach to planning Westport's future.
"Overall it was a positive result, with many community members recognising the importance of proactive planning and noting the plan was well thought out, visionary and necessary for Westport's future," Pickford said.
"Some concerns were also noted, including the need for more information on how the plan would evolve in the future.
"Participants touched on economic considerations, funding priorities, affordability, the environment around the proposed development site and the plan's long-term impact on businesses and homeowners.
"It has always been understood that the master plan holds opportunities and challenges for the Westport community, and these are the factors that councillors will be considering next week."
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