A boardwalk from Victoria on the River is a must do item before the new regional theatre can be opened.

And that's just one of the issues identified after recent work, by Hamilton City Council staff, into the Waikato River Plan.

This month, councillors heard a range of issues crop up as they were updated on the river plan projects before voting to re-establish a formerly disbanded taskforce.

TOM LEE/STUFF Hamilton Mayor Andrew King overlooking Victoria on the River and the buildings purchased for the next stage.

Community general manager Lance Vervoort said the taskforce is needed to direct future work on river plan projects.

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"We've got to a stage where we feel it's necessary," Vervoort said.

JASMAX An artist's impression of what the new Waikato Regional Theatre could look like.

The taskforce is an attempt to tidy up a project that has morphed into a menagerie of plans spanning from Roose Commercial Park to Victoria on the River.

At a November briefing of elected members Mayor Andrew King said the river plan, approved by council in 2014, is now broken.

And it could cost the city $100 million said Councillor Rob Pascoe at that meeting.

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF Hamilton City Councillor Rob Pascoe concerned about the cost of the river plan changing direction.

"We had a river plan, which was quite detailed, and there was a book put out which had some indicative costs but we seem to have headed in a different direction," Pascoe told Stuff at the time.

"Part of that direction, as I see it anyway, is we've headed further north and we're looking at wanting to develop around just north of where the theatre is likely to go."

"My concern is we never sat down and agreed to change what we previously agreed to on the river plan and my biggest worry is that we never got some idea of what this is going to cost."

CHRISTEL YARDLEY/STUFF Hamilton City Council Chamber Garry Mallett says the river plan is economically obscene.

The taskforce was approved by a majority vote at the the final full council meeting of the year.

Only Cr Garry Mallett opposed the establishment of the taskforce, saying the river plan was glorious in vision but obscene in economics.

"I can't seen any indication that the taskforce will come back with anything that's massively pared down from the vision and indeed it is likely to get bigger and more expensive," Mallett said.

"This is about the icing on the cake, which I am all for, so long as you've got the cake sorted out."

The taskforce's priority will be the promenade boardwalk from Victoria on the River to the Waikato Regional Theatre said Key Projects programme manager Natasha Ryan.

"The critical issue is getting through Embassy Park," Ryan said. "In order to construct a boardwalk through that area, we would need to access it . . . get the machinery and equipment through that site and the logical thing to do is to do that before the theatre opening."

Vervoort said there is another issue. There is no money for the boardwalk.

"The first things is we need some money," Vervoort said. "We're waiting to here from the provincial growth fund and if we get that we will have the funds for that."

Cr Geoff Taylor said council needs a more agile body to take the reins and give elected members a clear direction.

"We need an engine room to get down and dirty and make some decisions and make them quickly. I think we've been missing this taskforce since it's lapsed," Taylor said.

Council appointed Taylor as the taskforce chairman, and Deputy Mayor Martin Gallagher, Cr Ryan Hamilton, Pascoe and Māngai Māori Te Pora Thompson-Evans as Waikato-Tainui representative, as members of the River Plan Task Force.