New car park divides Ashburton councillors
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The extension of car parking facilities along West St in Ashburton has divided councillors.
The Ashburton District Council has approved progressing with plans for an extension of the West St car park to the north on land owned by KiwiRail.
The decision split the councillors, with five votes for and four against- wit the matter was discussed in public excluded in April and released publicly in May.
Councillors Carolyn Cameron and Russell Ellis had their votes against the new car park progressing recorded.
Cameron believes it isn’t necessary at the moment.
“I don’t believe we fully understand the parking demands in the CBD."
A parking review completed two years ago suggested there was ample parking available in the CBD, she said, so there was no reason to go and pave over another area unnecessarily.
The CBD is currently going through changes, with businesses coming and going and satellite retail centres on the CBD fringes expanding, she said.
“I think we could have waited to see how it pans out.”
There is also the push to increase the number of people walking and cycling, Cameron said.
The development of the car park is subject to agreeing lease terms with KiwiRail.
The council approved carrying over the unspent $1.5 million from the 2021-22 budget into the 2022-23 year to contribute towards the design and construction of the car park.
With the 2022-23 year almost at an end and no lease agreement in place, the project will get carried over again to the 2023-24 year.
Responding to speculation in the community that the new car park would serve as a council staff car park, to correspond with the move to the new library and civic centre later this year, chief executive Hamish Riach was adamant it is a public car park.
“It will be a public car park, just like the existing West St car park, and anyone can use it, including [council] staff.
“It will also increase the CBD’s parking stocks and include parks for longer vehicles like motorhomes.”
The provision of all day or time-restricted car parks would be finalised in the designs and be subject to obtaining resource consent and agreeing lease terms with KiwiRail, Riach said.
The new library Te Pātaka a kā Tuhituhi and civic centre Te Waharoa a Hine Paaka will have ample car parking for the council fleet, councillors and group managers he said, as well as some parking for the public.
The current West St car park has 144 all day spaces and 84 time restricted (3 hour) spaces.
A riddle to start the festive season 🌲🎁🌟
I'm a fruit. If you take away my first letter, I'm a crime. If you take away my first two letters, I'm an animal. If you take away my first and last letter, I'm a form of music. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post if you know the answer and the big reveal will be posted in the comments at 2pm on the day!
Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Poll: Should we be giving the green light to new mining projects? 💰🌲
The Environmental Protection Authority announced this week that a proposed mine in Central Otago (near Cromwell) is about to enter its fast-track assessment process. A final decision could come within six months, and if it’s approved, construction might start as early as mid-2026.
We want to know: Should mining projects like this move ahead?
Keen to dig deeper? Mike White has the scoop.
-
53.4% Yes
-
46.6% No
‘Tis the season to not get scammed ...
As Christmas gift shopping moves increasingly online, scammers are ramping up their activity across the country.
Dunedin’s Investigation Support Unit is seeing more and more people fall victim to scams and other fraudulent activity, particularly on Facebook Marketplace.
There are a few ways to avoid the scams and keep yourself safe doing online trades this holiday season, says Southern District Service Delivery Manager Senior Sergeant Dalton.
🔒 “A good first step when looking to purchase something on Marketplace is to check when the seller’s Facebook profile was created. If it’s very recent, there is a higher risk that they have just created this account for a one-off fake item.”
🔒 Another important step is to make sure the seller’s profile name and bank account name match up. “We’re seeing a lot of scammers claiming their bank account name is different because it belongs to their partner or family member - that’s a huge red flag."
🔒 “When you’re selling, never trust a screenshot anyone sends you showing that payment has been made. Check your own bank account to make sure a payment has gone through."
🔒 “Quite frankly, it’s best for all parties to agree to pay, or be paid, for items in cash and in-person. Ideally in a public place with CCTV coverage."
🔒 "If you’re buying a car, check Carjam.co.nz to see if it’s stolen or if there’s money owed on it.”
A reminder: Suspicious activity can be reported on 105
Loading…
