A PLANNING application has been submitted to replace a berthing jetty at a Christchurch boatyard with a continuous floating pontoon.

Elkins Boatyard has applied for permission for the pontoon, with access bridges and ancillary services.

A design and access statement submitted as part of the proposal said: “The new pontoon would be installed parallel to the shore to remain floating at all states of the tide.

“The pontoon will accommodate the existing vessels in a more flexible arrangement but will not provide additional berths beyond the 21 already found at the site.

“The alignment of the pontoon parallel to the riverbank continues to ensure that vessels continue to berth in alignment to the direction of water movement and are not subject to cross flow.

“The proposed locations for the three access bridges are also illustrated to provide improved accessibility for users.”

Developers have proposed the pontoon will be two metres wide and the designs directly align with other pontoon facilities.

The statement added: “Whilst the current arrangement provides a somewhat informal less engineered feeling to this section of the river, the individual wooden jetties currently in situ could be considered to result in a level of visual ‘clutter’ that would be removed through the proposed scheme.

“It is therefore the opinion of the applicant that the details proposed would be unlikely to result in anything other than less than substantial harm to the conservation area and will have no impact on any of the individual or collective heritage designation applied to the wider area.

“The fixed nature of the existing timber jetties means they cannot react to water level changes.

“Flood events at the site have been encountered where the river level exceeds the jetty levels and during these events there is a reliance on slack in the mooring lines to allow the vessels to remain secure outside of the normally occurring tidal range.

“This situation is not ideal as it requires ongoing monitoring of each individual vessel across the water level range.”

There would be no change to the number of berths provided on the site.