Clough & Associates Ltd. Page 50 Union Hill Heritage Management Plan MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES, CONTINUED Visitors and Local Community, continued In future another loop track may be created, taking visitors from the lower vehicle track to above the battery foundations and ore kilns, past the refinery safe to rejoin the main vehicle entrance road near the conveyor, strongroom and nearby structures. Other tracks are planned from the upper vehicle track into LINZ land, the southern one running close to the New No. 1 Shaft. (The future proposed tracks are referred to here as the stage 2 walkways). The walkway routes are well planned and appropriate in terms of allowing visitors to visit or view most of the significant remains on Union Hill (excluding the mineshafts, for safety reasons) and avoiding impacts on heritage remains. Visitor Safety WGCL’s primary responsibility as a landowner in allowing access to the heritage remains is to ensure public safety. There are various risks to public safety associated with the mining and industrial landscape including fall hazards (down mine shafts, pits, ore kilns, and from tall structures) and injuries from exposed metal elements and uneven surfaces. Safety issues have so far been addressed by fencing off shafts and dangerous structures, and by commissioning a safety assessment of the proposed walkway system. The safety assessment (attached as Appendix B) makes a number of recommendations relating to additional or improved safety fencing and avoidance of specific identified hazards along the walking track. Some additional recommendations are also made below relating to visitor safety. Visitor Impacts It is important to ensure that the remains are protected from damage by visitors. Some of the remains are too fragile to allow them to be walked on by members of the public (notably the ore kilns). The completion of the stage 2 walkways, with appropriate viewing points down onto the upper battery foundations and ore kilns, is strongly recommended to discourage visitors from climbing on these structures. Continued on next page
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