Council will not progress a motorcycle park near Ashton Beach after the Department of Conservation declined a wildlife permit due to rare skinks in the proposed park area.

The project has been on Council’s books since 2019 and had the support of the Ashburton Motorcycle Club, which had been granted $8000 to put towards the new park. The funding will now be repurposed for improvements at the Trevors Road motorbike park.

A idea of a new park was originally proposed during community consultation prior to Council fencing off the dangerous donga areas at Ashton Beach. An ecological assessment of the adjacent proposed area found populations of southern grass skink, a species in decline. A threatened native plant species was also found.

The wildlife application was lodged in December 2020 and DOC declined it in July last year, saying the proposal did not provide adequate protection for lizards. Council also offered to place a covenant on the fenced donga area and adjoining areas as another mitigation measure.

In a report to Councillors last week, Group Manager of People and Facilities Sarah Mosley said the required protection for the lizards could cost in the vicinity of $250,000 and so the project was not financially feasible.

Council has already spent $17,420 on planning and applications so far.

“This project has been rather long and challenging, and sometimes even frustrating,” Ms Mosley said.

It would not be a wise investment to try and overturn DOC’s decision, she said.

“It’s disappointing that we haven’t been able to make this happen because it was something the community wanted and supported, but we needed permission from DOC and that has not been possible.”