Subject: Council News

Stories

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  More loose change

  CITY bus fares are on the move. The cost of inner city and one-section trips could increase by 50 cents in September. Greater Wellington Regional Council recommended a 50% hike for inner city travelling, which currently costs $1 and will go up to $1.50, and a… Continue

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  Thriving in the community education graveyard

  UKULELE night classes are rocking at Wellington High School. But 16 out of the former 20 providers of Adult Community Education (ACE) have closed their night classes. Surprisingly, Wellington High School’s adult programme has survived and attendance is skyrocketing.… Continue

• Mayoral Candidate on Owhiro Bay rezoning

  WHILE water-quality at Owhiro Bay has been given the all clear, “council-quality” remains dubious, says mayoral candidate Allan Probert. Last week the Environment Court rejected a proposed housing development in Owhiro Bay after residents challenged the Wellington… Continue

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  Waiting in the wings: Privatisation of your water

  WELLINGTON'S WATER could be privatised before residents are aware of what’s happening, say local representatives. “The government’s land and water group is slowly working its way around [the country]. It’s not a public exercise at all,” says Greater Wellington… Continue

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  Library Cull?

  “SUBURBAN libraries are under threat,” says a Kingston resident. After reading Wellington City Council’s 2010 Draft Community Facilities Policy and Implementation Plan, Marie Russell became concerned. Reading between the lines, Russell says libraries in areas… Continue

• Wet hostel not so bad

  PUBLIC objections and problems with funding have plagued the proposed Wet Hostel in Island Bay, but living next door to one isn’t so bad, says a London-based Wellingtonian. Carmen Allnutt moved to London five months ago, and is renting a house next-door to St… Continue

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  Told you so

  “THE tunnel option must be considered for the Basin Reserve,” says the CEO of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. Charles Finny has got behind the idea of a “cut and cover” tunnel to solve the Basin’s traffic congestion, after it was revealed the government would… Continue

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  The $400,000 toilet

  WELLINGTONIANS may not be able to have a say over proposed developments on the waterfront. The 2010/11 Waterfront Development Plan is being discussed by the Wellington City Council on Thursday. Councillors will then vote whether or not to open it up for public… Continue

• End of inner-city indoor sport?

  SAVE Our Sport spokesman Ralph Highman has given the red card to the Wellington City Council over its decision to build an indoor sports centre at Cobham Park. In a full council meeting this month councillors voted to build a 12-court sports centre in Kilbirnie… Continue

• It’s the bypass

  STAGECOACH says Wellington’s new bypass is now causing the delays to Wellington’s bus services. The company came under fire in early February due to buses not arriving on time or at all. A shortage of drivers was initially blamed for the unreliable service.… Continue

• Chinese welcome garden move

  THE Wellington Chinese Garden Society says plans for buildings at Waitangi Park make it necessary to shift the proposed garden to Frank Kitts. The society has welcomed the development of a design brief for Frank Kitts that includes a Chinese Garden as a way… Continue

• Fears for CBD retailers

  VIBRANT Wellington fears retailers and cafes in the CBD will lose money if a BNZ building is built at the proposed Harbour Quays office park. The group, which is supported by city retailers, hoteliers, property owners, developers and concerned citizens, will… Continue

• See you in court

  The Wellington Civic Trust’s Peter Brooks says the flaws in the proposal for a Hilton Hotel on the Outer T may yet be the project’s downfall, as the Trust and Waterfront Watch prepare to appeal against the hotel in the Environment Court. HEARING commissioners,… Continue

• Courtenay Park back to council

  A split on council has put the Courtenay Place/Taranaki Street park development back on the agenda. A majority on council last week signed up to a Revocation Requisition, which has forced council to reconsider the proposal. The park has drawn heavy criticism… Continue

• Gifting not an option

  Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) and CentrePort will not gift port land to the Wellington City Council for an Indoor Community Sports Centre. Wellington City Council officers are exploring whether the Indoor Community Sports Centre could be located… Continue

• Waterfront plans change again

  TWO cornerstone waterfront projects are in doubt this week throwing the future shape of the waterfront into confusion. The Waterfront Development Subcommittee on Monday considered moving the Chinese Garden proposed for Waitangi Park to Frank Kitts Park as part… Continue

• Shaw looks secure

  ONLY two Wellington City Councillors want Deputy Mayor Alick Shaw removed from his position, Capital Times has discovered. Last week councillor Bryan Pepperell (Southern) said that eight of our 15 councillors were prepared to formally ask for Shaw’s demotion… Continue

• Marine Centre muck up?

  THE public has been misled about the size of the proposed Marine Education Centre, according to opponents of the project. Gary McGivney this week told commissioners assessing the proposal that the scale model displayed in Readings, photos of which were widely… Continue

• The toxicity of our city

  Is Waitangi Park toxic? A warning sign discouraging people from touching the stream surrounding Waitangi Park went up this month. The project suffered a $4.9 million budget blow out and a break with the original contractor after elevated lead contamination… Continue

• Big evidence barely fits

  EVIDENCE supporting the proposed aquarium on Wellington’s south coast is too big to fit into the Wellington City Council chamber. An 11-metre, 50:1 scale model of the proposed Marine Education Centre at Te Raekaihau Point, between Lyall Bay and Houghton Bay,… Continue

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  Hilton no icon

  A Hilton Hotel on the Outer T would contradict development plans for the waterfront, and the Resource Management Act, says the Wellington Civic Trust. The Trust told the resource consent hearing last week that it undercuts the Wellington Waterfront Framework,… Continue

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  Beyond blanket man

  HOMELESSNESS is much more than Blanket Man, says Kate Amory. "Whenever I talk to a Wellington resident about homelessness, without fail, Blanket Man is mentioned," says Amory, a documentary maker and student at the Wellington School of Medicine. "While the… Continue

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  A hard road for the Hilton

  THE Wellington Regional Council, Greater Wellington, has added its voice to those opposed to the development of the Hilton Hotel on the Outer-T of Queen’s Wharf. Greater Wellington recommends the proposal be declined because it will have significant adverse… Continue

• Council vote angers locals

  OWHIRO Bay residents are angry the Wellington City Council has voted to sell two sections there. The council will sell 178 and 180 Owhiro Bay Parade, currently a derelict car park, for housing development. "The whole consultation process is a farce because… Continue

• Northerm gateway needs a plan

  THE entrance to Wellington is at risk of becoming a jumbled mess, warns the Wellington Civic Trust. The Northern Gateway, the area of port land, railway land and road north of the railway station, needs a comprehensive urban design strategy, the Trust says.… Continue

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  New park for Courtenay Place

  THE Wellington City Council has proposed to develop the small park on the corner of Courtenay Place and Taranaki Street into a more attractive and safer space. Mayor Kerry Prendergast says the park is difficult to get to and close to an intersection with the… Continue

• Sports mini centre

  THE Indoor Community Sport Centre proposed for Cobham Park would not meet current demand, according to a council report. The eight-court facility has drawn concern it will be inadequate for the needs of Wellington’s sports community. A report presented to the… Continue

• Council rescues Shakespeare festival

  WELLINGTON City Council has found $20,000 to keep the Shakespeare Festival in Wellington. At the National Sheilah Winn Festival of Shakespeare in Schools on the weekend, Deputy Mayor Alick Shaw announced the one-off grant that will keep the festival running… Continue

• Axe WWL, says Waterfront Watch

  WATERFRONT Watch wants Wellington Waterfront Ltd (WWL) wiped out. At the watchdog group’s annual general meeting on Sunday, members passed a remit asking Wellington City Council to take direct responsibility for development on the waterfront following a highly… Continue

• Glover Park Makeover

  The Glover Park upgrade may look good but does not solve Wellington’s homeless problem, says Stephanie McIntyre of Downtown City Ministry. "I think it is important that the public is aware of the costs we put into these sorts of things but the amount… Continue

• Fighting Talk

  OPPONENTS of the proposed Marine Education Centre say a second hearing is illegal. Save The Point Inc have mounted a legal challenge in the Environment Court after the commissioners voting on a Resource Consent for the Marine Education Centre were unable to… Continue

• Rates to rise up to 19%

  WELLINGTON homeowners with a $300,000 house face a rate increase of between 7% and 19% next year, but those who own property worth $900,000 face a maximum increase of only 9%, and may even see their rates fall. These are indicative rates projections for 2006/07… Continue

• Anger over council's silence

  OPPONENTS and supporters of the proposed Wellington Marine Education Centre are outraged. Both groups, Save The Point Inc, and the Wellington Marine Conservation Trust, received no feedback from the Wellington City Council following a resource consent hearing… Continue

• Gully go ahead?

  "WE are going to end up with a bit of a white elephant," says Southern ward councillor Celia Wade-Brown in response to the Wellington City Council’s turnabout decision to support the Transmission Gully Motorway plan over the Coastal Highway upgrade option… Continue

• Missing carnival

  SOMETHING is missing in Wellington. Don’t worry, you haven’t missed the annual Cuba Street Carnival – this year it is not on. The carnival has become a biennial celebration, organiser Chris Morley-Hall says, and a new revised resource consent for the event is… Continue

• Location location location?

  THE contentious siting of a proposed waterfront Maori meeting house(wharenui) right beside the rowing clubs, and a Hilton hotel on Queen’s Wharf has Councillor Ian McKinnon deeply concerned. He says it’s possibly too late for the rowing clubs but it’s not… Continue

• Capital E under threat?

  MOVES to establish an arts-focussed business unit at Wellington City Council could destabilise Capital E. The council’s Strategy and Policy Committee on Thursday will consider the establishment of the unit, which would take over the management of Capital E… Continue

• Annual Plan

  WELLINGTON City Council needs to start prioritising its spending, says councillor Ian McKinnon. The council met on June 28 to ratify the annual plan which includes; a rate rise of 6.99%, increases in fees for many council services, increased borrowing and interest-free… Continue

• Councillor’s claims – “utter nonsense”

  WELLINGTON City Councillor Jack Ruben is up in arms over the shifting of a sub-committee meeting, discussing the Waitangi Park development, closer to Christmas. Holding the Waterfront Development sub-committee meeting on November 28 will mean the public consultation… Continue

• The magic roundabout

  A WELLINGTON City Council experiment with a judder bar-like roundabout in Island Bay has been reversed. Earlier this year, the council installed a large roundabout with a raised apron at the intersection of Dee Street and The Parade. The apron of the roundabout… Continue

• Fraction too much friction

  FRICTION around the council table is boiling over into legal attacks and personal vendettas that are affecting the ability of councillors to function normally. Can Wellington City Council continue to function while legal attacks and personal battles divert… Continue

• Absolutely positively green

  WELLINGTON City Council (WCC) is looking for ways to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions. It recently completed an inventory to identify where the ozone-eating gasses are coming from. "Climate change is the biggest environmental threat of the century,"… Continue

• Rowers making waves

  THE Star and Wellington rowing clubs believe the Wellington City Council wants them off the Taranaki Wharf site they’ve used for more than 120 years. A resource consent application to allow a wharenui (Maori meeting house) and "develop public spaces", part… Continue

• Gentlemen, switch off your engines

  DISAPPOINTED doesn’t get close to describing Mayor Kerry Prendergast’s reaction to the scrapping of the V8 Supercar street race. "This would have been the biggest annual event in New Zealand," says Prendergast. There is nothing on the horizon that would… Continue

• Glass recycling concerns

  WELLINGTON City Council will continue to collect glass through kerbside recycling even though nobody wants it. Glass recycler ACI Glass is reducing the price it pays for the glass collected by council in response to a market glut. Local Government New… Continue

• Demolition watch

  THE demolition of pre-1930s Aro Valley houses is set to cause heated debate around the council table this month. Last week the council’s Strategy and Policy Committee voted for the introduction of a pre-1930s demolition rule for the area by a small majority… Continue

• Parking free-for-all

  WELLINGTON City Council has breached a parking bylaw and fines issued at certain Pay and Display sites are not valid. The District Court has ruled that due to the lack of signposting on The Terrace and Aurora Terrace in a Pay and Display area, tickets issued… Continue

• Trouble brewing on the south coast

  THE Southern Environment Association (SEA) is prepared for direct action to prevent Wellington City Council from selling off land at Owhiro Bay. "When land was owned by Milburn [quarry company] we took direct action at times which caused great embarrassment… Continue

• Owhiro Bay restoration

  THE Wellington City Council doesn’t need to sell land at the old Owhiro Bay Quarry to pay for the area’s refurbishment because it has already budgeted for it. "There was money set aside for the restoration of that area when the council bought the land from… Continue

• Waterfront watchdog bares its teeth

  WATERFRONT Watch has slammed the Wellington City Council’s Waitangi Precinct design competition. A submission to the council highlights the concerns Waterfront Watch has with the brief for the competition. They suggest the council wait until they have commitments… Continue

• End of city rowing?

  CURRENT waterfront development might mean the end of Wellington rowing. Star and Wellington Rowing Clubs are concerned that Wellington Waterfront Ltd’s proposed redevelopment of the Taranaki Street Wharf could lead to the demise of the clubs. They are worried… Continue

• Hello Hilton, goodbye lunchtime sport

  SPORTY Wellingtonians are gearing up to fight for their venue. Shed One, which has become a popular indoor sports venue, will go when the Hilton Hotel is built on the outer T at Queen’s Wharf. Save our Sport (SOS) is a group formed to retain Shed One as… Continue

• A roundabout way of crossing the intersection

  EARLIER this year, Wellington City Council installed a new design of roundabout at the corner of Dee Street and The Parade in Island Bay. Despite the intersection having a low incidence of accidents, it was identified by the council as a high accident risk.… Continue

• Assets sales as backstop

  ASSET sales could cover any problems servicing the council’s exploding debt, says outgoing Wellington City Council chief financial officer Andrew McKenzie. McKenzie, who officially left the council two weeks ago, says the council has $750 million in assets… Continue

• Foreshore Bill threatens waterfront hotel

  WELLINGTON City Council may lose control of waterfront development when the government passes the Foreshore and Seabed Bill. The bill will turn ownership of the country’s seabed and foreshore, to the high tide mark, over to the Crown. It also recognises… Continue

• District Plan a sham says watchdog

  A community watchdog says the Wellington City District Plan might as well be thrown away. The council’s continual granting of exemptions to the District Plan is alarming says Di Buchan, spokesperson for the Wellington Civic Trust. "We are becoming increasingly… Continue

• Gamesmanship

  THE Wellington City Council appears powerless to stop developers manipulating the resource consent system. On October 13, Capital Times revealed that Buckingham Asset Management (BAM) already had plans to build an 18-storey building on the former site of… Continue

• Anger over height limits

  RESIDENTS of Oriental Bay are upset that council officers approved the construction of a building exceeding the area’s height limit while in mediation with various residents’ groups over the issue. Monastery Escarpment Protection Group spokesperson Gael Webster… Continue

• High Court high noon

  WELLINGTON City Council could soon be faced with a costly High Court trial. Cr Rob Goulden wants to overturn the censure handed down to himlast year for breaching the council’s Code of Conduct. There’s been lots of interest in the Code of Conduct charges against… Continue

• V8 H8

  URBAN designer Jan Gehl has slammed plans to build a street circuit on the waterfront to accommodate the proposed supercar race. Gehl has made a number of visits to the capital at the request of the council as it looks to use the expertise he has brought to… Continue

• The future of Wellington wind farms

  THE lobby groups trying to protect Quartz Hill in Makara have had a setback with the Wellington City Council’s amended District Plan saying there are no areas where wind farms are completely off limits. While Quartz Hill has been added to the list of ridgelines… Continue

• Upper limits

  Community groups are up in arms over repeated exemptions being granted to developers to build above the guidelines in the District Plan. In the wake of an Environment Court decision upholding another exemption for an over-height building, Aaron Watson discovers… Continue

• Council labelled dysfunctional

  WELLINGTON City Council is so dysfunctional it could be dissolved and run by a commissioner, says councillor Helen Ritchie. Ritchie is one of a number of councillors who feel themselves to be under attack from Mayor Kerry Prendergast following the local body… Continue

Reviews

• Mayor for Cobham Park

  THE Indoor Community Sports Centre should be in Kilbirnie says Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast . The latest flurry of debate over the best location for an indoor community sports centre is probably confusing many Wellingtonians so I think it’s essential to… Continue