The longstanding issue of the Colac Bay Foreshore Road came to a head at a Southland District Council meeting last week, with councillors deciding the road should remain closed for the foreseeable future.

At the meeting, held on Thursday, November 23, the council decided to keep the road closed for now, but reestablish the previous rock protection to the same level it was in 2015.

A group of speakers in the public forum explained to the council that having the road closed since 2015, as a result of coastal erosion, had negatively impacted their community.

Colac Bay Erosion Committee chairwoman Julie Guise said she had been self-employed most of her life, and had a business in Colac Bay before having to sell it due to lower visitor numbers.

"That road had a big impact on my business, in the last couple of years we relied strongly on tourist turnover in the summer months."

Business had "dramatically decreased" due to the road closure, she said.

"We see that people are no longer coming into the bay, it literally has died."

Ms Guise also implored the council to take a proper look at the issue to come up with a solution.

"Colac Bay has just been gently tipping away all these years, it's not a hard fix… we need to move forward and have our road back."

"We need some foresight and we need some vision here."

The council discussed the options available and decided the best way forward was the reinstatement of the previous rock protection. This would replace the rock protection to the extent that existed in 2015, with an improved design to make it more resilient and reduce the risk of erosion extending westwards beyond the existing extent.

This option would cost around $200,000 and would qualify for a New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) subsidy. An amendment was made to the proposal, with the Colac Bay Forehsore Road being closed until further notice, rather than permanently.

Following the meeting Ms Guise said that, for the first time in four years, she felt the council was finally paying attention to the situation but cautioned they needed to all be on the same page regarding their information.

"What the (erosion) committee is doing now is coming up with a lot of solutions for elected members and information. They're very busy people, they all need to be having it in their hands, the same information put in a clear way so they can make informed decisions."

"We're probably very optimistic, there's no reason to close the road permanently... the community is more upset about the fact it should never have happened in the first place."

Ms Guise said the road was an enormous asset and everyone was pontificating the future of tourism in the area.

"These are the places tourists want to come to, they want to see the natural environment and beauty we have here."

"We want that road open and I don't see that it's a big ask," she said.

Ms Guise said the committee would submit a formal response to elected members of the council before Christmas, hoping they would take responsibility for the situation and perhaps tidy the area up so the thousands of holiday makers coming into the bay could walk along the road with prams or cycle along it in the summer months.

"There's still plenty of tar seal. We want them to improve the situation as it stands."

"They haven't closed the door on us, a bit of common sense has prevailed there. We need to keep the momentum going, we're not giving up," she said.