### NZ Herald 5:00 AM Sunday Apr 30, 2017 Stunning stadium pitched for Auckland, sunken into waterfront
By Simon Plumb
Jaw-dropping concepts for an iconic new national stadium have been pitched to Auckland Council, proposing a state-of-the-art arena be submerged into the city’s waterfront. A portfolio of spectacular designs can be revealed from documents delivered to the office of Auckland Mayor Phil Goff last month. The Herald on Sunday has obtained them through the Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act [LGOIMA]. Dubbed The Crater, the idea centres on a subterranean multi-events venue, inverting conventional design by building below ground rather than above. Created by Auckland design and marketing figure Phil O’Reilly, three potentials factor in a core concept of a sunken bowl-type arena, as well as renderings of a roofed version. A third concept incorporates new cruise ship terminals that would flank the facility, although O’Reilly said the general idea could also work inland if the waterfront was dumped as a location. […] O’Reilly said as far as he is aware, the submerged venue would be the first of its kind anywhere in the world and was a chance for Auckland to build an iconic landmark that would be recognised the world over – but in keeping with Auckland’s natural volcanic landscape. […] Although not as large in scale, likely between 30,000-50,000 capacity, O’Reilly said a truly cutting-edge design could see the Kiwi venue punch way above its weight and become as recognised as some of the most famous on Earth. Read more
Christchurch City Council proposes turning Victoria St into a cul-de-sac………
### radionz.co.nz Sun, 16 Apr 2017 1:37 p.m.
RNZ News: Politics / Canterbury Govt threatens to pull funding for Chch downtown plan
The government is threatening to cancel its funding for a plan to make central Christchurch more pedestrian and cycle friendly if changes are not made. The Minister supporting Greater Christchurch Regeneration, Gerry Brownlee, said the government was paying 60 percent of the funding for the Accessible City plan, but last week he was granted authorisation by Cabinet to suspend its funding. Mr Brownlee said the plan, which has been partially implemented, risked creating a dysfunctional central city. “Its absurd. I’m hearing all the time from people who are going to have lunch or coffee in the central city and simply can’t park their car. Or end up parking such a long way away from it that they decide they may as well just drive to one of the suburban malls.” Read more
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Video link received Sun, 9 Apr 2017 at 9:53 p.m.
From the folks who brought you the self-driving car!
Google Nederland Published on Mar 31, 2016 Introducing the self-driving bicycle in the Netherlands
This spring, Google is introducing the self-driving bicycle in Amsterdam, the world’s premier cycling city. The Dutch cycle more than any other nation in the world, almost 900 kilometres per year per person, amounting to over 15 billion km annually. The self-driving bicycle enables safe navigation through the city for Amsterdam residents, and furthers Google’s ambition to improve urban mobility with technology. Google Netherlands takes enormous pride in the fact that a Dutch team worked on this innovation that will have great impact in their home country.
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Link received from Hilary Calvert
Thu, 6 Apr 2017 at 7:53 p.m.
Message: Cycle lane cyclist truck turning left. Very dangerous.
### stuff.co.nz Last updated 07:03, Apr 7 2017 Former Hamilton teacher killed in collision with truck at Hamilton roundabout
By Phillipa Yalden – Waikato Times
Mike Leach taught Fairfield College students for 34 years. Some of the things he was involved in at Fairfield were outdoor education and building drama sets. He was a geography and social sciences teacher, and also a Dean. On Wednesday, as he cycled through the rain down Te Rapa Straight, the father of two’s life was cut short in a collision. The 67-year-old was killed when his bike and a B-train truck and trailer collided at the Te Rapa Road and Sunshine Avenue intersection at lunchtime on Wednesday. […] Quite a few people witnessed the crash on Wednesday, Waikato road police Senior Sergeant Gill Meadows said. “There are a number of people who were quite traumatised by the incident and we have referred them to Victim Support. There is quite a bit of work to be done on that particular incident.” Initial inquiries showed that the Halls refrigeration B-train truck was heading north along Te Rapa Straight when it went to turn left at the roundabout into Sunshine Avenue. “He was in the lane to turn left, and the cyclist was going straight ahead, and was on the left side of the truck. But we are still doing inquiries in regards to that.” There is a cyclist lane that runs along the straight, feeding into the roundabout. The crash occurred metres from shops and cafes at 11.30am. Read more
Hamilton roundabout crash site [Christel Yardley/Fairfax NZ via stuff.co.nz]
The cycleway construction MANGLE is a MASSIVE over reaction to the loss of just two lives – TWO academics(!), who individually decided to risk their lives on the State Highway rather than take available quiet streets.
NZTA corralled by the DCC upstarts such as Mayor Cull, Cr Wilson and the dreadful DCC transportation planners…. is about to cripple the State Highway one-way system that caters for motorists, our trucking companies and large freight movers – as well as savage the public resource of city car parks. 258 parks to be lost.
Expect more cycle deaths and maiming as a result of the new segregated cycleways.
New Zealand road deaths are rising. An indictment but not due to the use of pedal cycles in urban centres so much as motor vehicles and motorbikes on the open road —no one, it appears, likes to wear seat belts, keep their speed down, stay free of distraction, or drive on the correct side of the road, any more. The Road Rules represent real inconvenience for petrolhead homies and overseas nationals.
The Liability Cull council likes to believe cyclists are important in a hilly aging town – or that the absolutely Vast minority of toasted ones were important (just the 2). But cycling, like skiing and boarding, has the excitement of the odd bruise, graze, break or concussion. Mincemeat too, is an option. Not sure it isn’t ‘natural’ to dice.
So we all must pay. And pay again on the one-ways.
This is yet another disreputable DCC detour from putting public funds (ours!) to core infrastructure. We know what core is.
OF COURSE
Latest cost estimates for the SH1 segregated cycleways, noted as $8M in the DCC propaganda published by Pravda, are set to spiral wildly out of control – a certainty!
All that DCC touches in its project work FAILS, immeasurably so, since council staff time and labour costs are kept fully hidden to keep the populace from casting pitchforks at the suited ones (men and women with desks at the City) who pillow out on stipends and salaries.
Give us a break. People die every day.
Why should that disfigure our heavy transports of delight….
The evil DCC staccato of red lights through town is bad enough.
### ODT Online Thu, 26 Jan 2017 SH1 cycleway work to start
By David Loughrey
Work will start soon on an $8 million separated cycleway on Dunedin’s one-way system. The project is intended to provide safe cycling on a roading system overrepresented in fatal and serious crashes, with [merely!] two fatalities since 2011. The first stretch to be built will run between the Botanic Garden and Albany St. Work is expected to start in May. Read more
“The loss of parking [258 parks] is justified in terms of safety, and supporting cycling can reduce parking pressure in the long term.” –University
Pool upgrade supposed to happen a year ago this month.
### ODT Online Mon, 23 Jan 2017 Grant lost as physio pool work stalls
By Eileen Goodwin
A $120,000 grant has been pulled from the Dunedin physiotherapy pool upgrade because no-one yet knows when — or even if — it will happen. And the Otago Therapeutic Pool Trust has confirmed a second grant, of $100,000, is subject to an extension review and a decision is awaited.
Pool trust secretary-treasurer Neville Martin […] hopes to know more by June, when the Ministry of Health is expected to release a shortlist of site options for the $300 million Dunedin Hospital rebuild. Read more
“To avoid closure of the pool by the Southern District Health Board, the trust has been required to cover all operating costs since the beginning of 2015.” –Neville Martin
Green Island is a revitalising service centre peppered with new tenancies and *excellent* eateries. All in all a worthwhile destination. Just make sure, Green Island people, that DCC does not overtake your ideas with theirs (see King Edward St, South Dunedin, where council blight has occurred)…. so to kill your lovely Upbeat shopping centre. YOUR Plan, not theirs. Don’t let councils over-design your main street (avoid road engineering aesthetics) —keep everything simple and spontaneous, a People-friendly Place to entice repeat visitors.
A plan to improve traffic flow, intersections, parking, pedestrian safety and bus stops is being developed in Green Island, with community input.
### ODT Online Sun, 27 Nov 2016 Traffic plan for perusal soon
By Joshua Riddiford – The Star
A traffic plan for Green Island is expected to be presented to officials before Christmas Day. The plan is intended to improve traffic flow, intersections, parking, pedestrian safety and bus stops. The Greater Green Island Community Network developed the plan in response to that organisation’s household survey in May, which found 30% of residents were concerned about vehicles dominating public spaces and streets, 21% were concerned about the amount of traffic and 21% were concerned about pedestrian safety. Read more
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### ODT Online Sun, 13 Nov 2016 Green Island traffic plan picks up pace
By Brenda Harwood – The Star
….Greater Green Island believes the time has come for a comprehensive plan, with the recent development of the new Moyles Fresh Choice supermarket, the Z petrol station, the Sunnyvale Sports Centre, a growing population and the rise in traffic volumes. Greater Green Island community workers Amanda Reid and Leanne Stenhouse have been meeting Dunedin City Council and Otago Regional Council representatives to discuss the issues and are now working on a comprehensive draft design for improvements …. [DCC transportation safety team leader Hjarne Poulsen] said the approach of the community network, to gather feedback and create a concept, was “very helpful” …. [ORC support services manager] Gerard Collings welcomed the community feedback and thanked the network for its “collaborative approach”. Read more
[click to enlarge] Google Street Map – Green Island 2016
DCC Webmap – Green Island JanFeb 2013
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
This post is offered in the public interest.
*Image: Green Island street perspective via Google Street View, tweaked by whatifdunedin
Douglas Field Published on Jan 14, 2016 Noah Cull floating his boat
Dunedin’s mayor (Cull) persists with his obsession with global warming and catastrophic sea level rise as being in some way connected to the flooding event of June last year in Dunedin. This, even though local meteorologists dismiss it as nonsense.
In order to pay for the effects of the damage caused, he is now trying to link this to the truly catastrophic damage caused by the earthquake in Christchurch the cost of which is substantially underwritten by central government.
The sketch lampoons the mayor for trying to squeeze money from central government coffers on such patently baseless arguments.
█ For more information, enter the term *flood* in the search box at right.
A sister ark ‘construction’ has also been identified in satirical comments about the stadium.
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But what of Noah’s contrariness towards rules of the district plan, lack of consultation over the build (see LTP and AP), and obvious parking demeanors incurred by the ark.
Received.
Thu, 14 Jan 2016 at 7:07 a.m.
█ Message: Worth noting that the council instructs officers that they must write 3 tickets per hour. How have we let councils construct such an unpopular and penal extra tax?
### Stuff.co.nz Last updated 19:29, January 13 2016 Wellington City Council’s multimillion-dollar ticket haul
By Tom Hunt – The Dominion
Wellington drivers are being stung by millions of dollars in parking fines, and are 10 times less likely to have them waived than if they parked just 20 minutes away in Porirua. Official figures from Wellington City Council show the number of tickets it issued dropped to 141,341 in 2015, but that still put an extra $6.4 million in the council coffers. In 2012, when the council issued 262,627 tickets, it gathered almost $10.01m in revenue.
In May, it was revealed that the capital’s 32 wardens had been told they had to issue at least three tickets an hour. The council defended the “performance measure” and insisted it was not a quota.
The region’s councils were asked to supply figures showing how many tickets were issued, how much revenue this generated, and how many tickets they waived. Read more
### ODT Online Thu, 10 Dec 2015 Student apartments going up
Construction has begun on six new student apartments at the corner of George St and Regent Rd, Dunedin. The 962sq m triangular-shaped site is owned by Straits International Ltd, and was the site of a service station for about 80 years. The Dunedin City Council has given resource consent for the company to construct four residential units in a two-storey building (block 1) and two residential units in a three-storey building (block 2), thereby creating 22 habitable rooms. Construction is expected to be completed next year. ODT Link
No! This was not a service station site for 80 years. There was a beautiful two-storey substantial brick heritage house on this site until about the 1970s. This is just another step in the incremental loss of North End heritage. This shows very poor planning from DCC, making this part of town, and the main street in this case, an ever expanding precinct of badly designed cheaply built high density housing. These will add to the stock of other similar structures forming “North Dunedin’s slums of the future”. Ratepayers’ will probably end up funding the future purchase of such cheap accomodation to mitigate associated social problems and the appalling visual amenity. Very poor city planning indeed.
Prominent George St corner sites are being trashed by the banal. More habitable rooms – No emphasis on good contemporary design, no flair.
This one’s built right to the footpath on the main street, with little modulation and no hint of garden or vertical planting possible, except something to the corner part-screened by the witless bus shelter shoved on its concrete pad.
Given the rich inheritance, where has Dunedin street architecture gone? Where are the design professions? Why so much visual erosion? Where is the NZ Institute of Architects? Why no City Architect Office and independent Urban Design Panel to uphold design values for Dunedin residents and ratepayers?
Ugh! DCC planning fail. DCC urban design fail. DCC district plan fail. When will DCC grow up – to promote sympathetic edgy contemporary architecture and design for major city axials, at the very least. A step up from turning Dunedin into bog city with tawdry gateway approaches.
Received from Rrrrrrrrrruf Rrrrrrrrrruf
Tue, 15 Sep 2015 at 2:15 p.m.
[click to enlarge]
█ Message: Photo taken at 11:45 a.m. today. Note the DCC van is illegally parked on the wrong side of the road while the officer searches the park for law breaking dog owners. The fine for this is $40. It is a case of do as I say, not do as I do. Still, although hypocritical, on a cost benefit analysis maybe worth the risk as the dog off a lead [failing to control] fine is $200.
Dolifun37 Published on Jan 17, 2015 Uptown funk (Minions Voice)
Music: “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars (Google Play • iTunes)
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Minions are small, yellow, pill-shaped creatures who have existed since the beginning of time, evolving from single-celled organisms into beings who exist only to serve history’s most villainous masters. They find great masters—including a T. Rex, a caveman, an Egyptian pharaoh, Dracula, and Napoleon —but after accidentally killing nearly all of them with their incompetence, they decide to isolate themselves from the world and start a new life in Antarctica. By 1968, the lack of a master drives them into depression, so one minion—Kevin—plans to find a new master.
Minions is a 2015 American 3D computer-animated family comedy film, and a prequel/spin-off to the Despicable Me franchise. Produced by Illumination Entertainment for Universal Pictures, it was directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda, written by Brian Lynch, and produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy. The film stars Coffin (as the Minions), Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan, and narrated by Geoffrey Rush. It was first foreshadowed in the end credits of Despicable Me 2, where Stuart, Kevin, and Bob, three of the Minions, are seen auditioning for the film.
Minions premiered on June 11, 2015, in London, and was released in the United States on July 10, 2015. Despite mixed reviews, the film has grossed over $655 million worldwide.
[recognise anyone ?]
[repetition of DCC brainstorms and central city project “VIBES”]
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#DUD Singalong
Mark Ronson Lyrics: “Uptown Funk” (feat. Bruno Mars)
This hit
That ice cold
Michelle Pfeiffer
That white gold
This one, for them hood girls
Them good girls
Straight masterpieces
Stylin’, while in
Livin’ it up in the city
Got Chucks on with Saint Laurent
Gotta kiss myself I’m so pretty
I’m too hot (hot damn)
Called a police and a fireman
I’m too hot (hot damn)
Make a dragon wanna retire, man
I’m too hot (hot damn)
Say my name you know who I am
I’m too hot (hot damn)
Am I bad ’bout that money
Break it down
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
‘Cause Uptown Funk gon’ give it to you
‘Cause Uptown Funk gon’ give it to you
‘Cause Uptown Funk gon’ give it to you
Saturday night and we’re in the spot
Don’t believe me, just watch (Come on)
Doh
Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh (Hah!)
Don’t believe me, just watch
Doh
Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh (Hah!)
Don’t believe me, just watch
Don’t believe me, just watch
Don’t believe me, just watch
Don’t believe me, just watch
Hey, hey, hey, oh!
Stop
Wait a minute
Fill my cup put some liquor in it
Take a sip, sign a check
Julio! Get the stretch!
Ride to Harlem, Hollywood, Jackson, Mississippi
If we show up, we gonna show out
Smoother than a fresh jar o’ Skippy
I’m too hot (hot damn)
Called a police and a fireman
I’m too hot (hot damn)
Make a dragon wanna retire, man
I’m too hot (hot damn) {hot damn}
Bitch, say my name you know who I am
I’m too hot (hot damn)
Am I bad ’bout that money
Break it down
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
‘Cause Uptown Funk gon’ give it to you
‘Cause Uptown Funk gon’ give it to you
‘Cause Uptown Funk gon’ give it to you
Saturday night and we’re in the spot
Don’t believe me, just watch (come on)
Doh
Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh (Hah!)
Don’t believe me, just watch
Doh
Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh (Hah!)
Don’t believe me, just watch
Don’t believe me, just watch
Don’t believe me, just watch
Don’t believe me, just watch
Hey, hey, hey, oh!
Before we leave
Let me tell y’all a lil’ something
Uptown Funk you up, Uptown Funk you up
Uptown Funk you up, Uptown Funk you up, uh
I said Uptown Funk you up, Uptown Funk you up
Uptown Funk you up, Uptown Funk you up
Come on, dance
Jump on it
If you sexy then flaunt it
If you freaky then own it
Don’t brag about it, come show me
Come on, dance
Jump on it
If you sexy then flaunt it
Well it’s Saturday night and we’re in the spot
Don’t believe me, just watch (come on)
Doh
Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh (Hah!)
Don’t believe me, just watch
Doh
Doh doh doh, doh doh doh, doh doh (Hah!)
Don’t believe me, just watch
Don’t believe me, just watch
Don’t believe me, just watch
Don’t believe me, just watch
Hey, hey, hey, oh!
Uptown Funk you up, Uptown Funk you up (say whaa?!)
Uptown Funk you up, Uptown Funk you up
Uptown Funk you up, Uptown Funk you up (say whaa?!)
Uptown Funk you up, Uptown Funk you up
Uptown Funk you up, Uptown Funk you up (say whaa?!)
Uptown Funk you up, Uptown Funk you up
Uptown Funk you up, Uptown Funk you up (say whaa?!)
Uptown Funk you up
Aaaaaaow!
TheSlowCheese Published on May 2, 2014 Spongebob “Turn down for what”
Music: “Turn Down for What” by DJ Snake, Lil Jon (Google Play • iTunes)
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Douglas Field Published on Jul 27, 2015 Castle Street spoof 25 7 15
A spoof commenting on some local body political obsession with reducing the use of motor vehicles to ‘save the planet’.
Link received from Hype O’Thermia
Sat, 4 Apr 2015 at 10:20 a.m.
█ Message: Local shop owners blame lack of free parking and rising costs for “demise” of Hamilton’s CBD.
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The Central Business District of Hamilton is looking a little gloomy, with for lease signs up in many shop windows.
### Stuff.co.nz Last updated 05:00, April 4 2015 Hamilton central-city retail space sits empty
By Rachel Thomas and Nancy El-Gamel
Twenty per cent of ground level central Hamilton retail space is empty. Local shop owners are blaming lack of free parking and rising costs, while business leaders are pointing fingers at absentee landlords, sub-standard buildings and an inability to compete with lower rents at The Base.
The Base is New Zealand’s largest shopping Centre based in Te Rapa, 7 km North of Hamilton CBD.
To quantify what the average shopper sees [in the CBD], the Waikato Times counted all ground floor premises in the block within Hood St, Victoria St, Angelsea St and Liverpool St, finding that of 524 premises, the 104 empty ones outnumbered the 67 locally owned and operated stores in the area. […] Hamilton Mayor Julie Hardaker acknowledged the CBD needed desperate attention, and said council was taking a “holistic approach” to the problem. […] “For the city centre to be successful it must be commercially and economically successful and over the last few decades most reports have focused on physical changes, so we have started with an economic analysis and looked at the trend since 2001 in terms of the economy.” Read more + Video
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Read comments to the article.
How many other places – like Dunedin – mirror Hamilton ?
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
*Images: Waikato Times/Stuff – Hamilton CBD [screenshots from video]
### ODT Online Wed, 25 Feb 2015 Church sold car park land forless(sic)for sake of public good
By Shawn McAvinue
A land deal between the Dunedin City Council and St Margaret’s Church in Green Island built on “good faith” was about $100,000 shy of another offer tabled but was accepted by the parish because it would create a community asset, former city councillor Colin Weatherall said. Mr Weatherall […] said that as a councillor, he was involved in negotiations when the church sold land about six years ago. The church agreed on a price with the council because the land would be used for a public car park. That price was about $100,000 less than an offer by a property developer wanting to build flats on the land. Read more
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### ODT Online Wed, 25 Feb 2015 Support conditional on parking: Moyle
By Shawn McAvinue
A declaration of support for a proposed Green Island medical centre to be built on a public car park comes with conditions, businessman John Moyle said. Mr Moyle, the Green Island Business Association president and Saddle Hill Community Board member, said a Dunedin City Council letter declaring the association and board supported the sale of a public car park in Green Island to South Link Health Services Ltd was only half the story. The association and board supported the medical centre being built on the condition the car parks lost were found elsewhere, he said. Read more
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### ODT Online Thu, 12 Feb 2015 Parking fears with new health centre
By Shawn McAvinue
The likely sale of a busy car park to make way for a new health centre in Green Island will leave motorists searching for parking, a former city councillor and a businessman say. Concerns were also raised that the Dunedin City Council would profit from a land deal brokered on community goodwill. Read more
### ODT Online Thu, 20 Mar 2014 Settlement offer made by SDHB
By Eileen Goodwin
The Southern District Health Board tried to settle its dispute with South Link Health by offering to halve the more than $7 million interest bill, correspondence about the row shows. […] The offer is disclosed in former health board chief executive Brian Rousseau’s correspondence. Previously, Mr Rousseau has taken issue with public statements from other parties indicating the board never raised a red flag about the possibility of fraud in the dispute. Read more
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### ODT Online Sat, 19 May 2012 Quiet agent of change
By Dene Mackenzie
From a top-floor corner office looking straight up Dunedin’s George St, Murray Tilyard is overseeing a medical group that is quietly changing the way health services are delivered to thousands of New Zealanders. That number is set to grow exponentially. […] The Helensburgh general practitioner is also the Dunedin School of Medicine Professor of General Practice and now the chief executive, or executive director, of a group of health entities revolutionising the delivery of some health services. Read more
A flyer received this week at Pitt St…. (the photo is lower Scotland St)
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Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Surveying Views on Parking
This item was published on 21 Oct 2014
The Dunedin City Council wants to hear what the public thinks about possible changes to how parking is managed in areas close to the CBD. Areas include City Rise, residential streets near the campus, the Warehouse Precinct, and around Lower Princes Street, Smith Street, York Place and Harrow Street.
Under a review of Dunedin’s District Plan, the DCC is looking at whether the number of off-street car parks required for dwellings in these areas should be reduced. “While this would make more space available for inner city living and could improve neighbourhood amenity, it would also mean more demand for on-street parking,” says City Development Manager Anna Johnson. “To manage this, the DCC may make changes to how parking is managed, with more on-street car parks in the affected areas being reserved for residents with permits or for visitors parking for up to two hours. This would mean that fewer on-street parks would be available to commuters,” says Ms Johnson.
Before any decisions on these matters are made, an online survey will query what the general public, affected residents, commuters, developers, businesses, schools, and other affected organisations think. Survey results will then be used by the DCC to help decide how parking in the affected areas should be managed. If any changes are proposed to District Plan rules for off-street parking, people will be able to make submissions on these changes next year, when the reviewed District Plan is notified. Any changes to these rules would not be likely to come into force until 2016.
In most of the affected areas, changes to on-street parking would only be proposed after the changes to District Plan off-street parking rules had taken place. However, where on-street parking pressure is already particularly high changes may be considered earlier. This could include, for example, areas around Royal Terrace, Heriot Row, London St and Cargill St and parts of City Rise, such as around Arthur Street. If any changes to on-street parking are proposed there will be formal consultation and people will be able to make submissions on the proposals.
█ Online surveys will be available from Wednesday 22 October to Friday 7 November from http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/2gp and paper surveys are available on request from the DCC. Please call 03 477 4000 to request a hard copy to be sent in the post.
Contact Anna Johnson – City Development Manager on 03 474 3874.
Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Medium Density Housing Zones Identified
This item was published on 21 Oct 2014
The growth in one to two person households in Dunedin has prompted a rethink of how we look at residential development. As part of the development of the Dunedin Spatial Plan and the city’s second generation District Plan (2GP), Dunedin City Council staff have been working with stakeholders and experts, and consulting with the community, to identify areas that should provide for medium density housing, particularly in areas close to centres, public transport, and community and recreational facilities.
Medium density relates to how many residential units there are per section. Medium density housing can be in the form of houses on small sections, semi-detached or terraced houses, or two to three storey apartment buildings on larger sections. Much of South Dunedin and the residential areas around the University of Otago are examples of areas that are developed to a “medium density” level.
DCC City Development Manager Anna Johnson says various ideas about where to provide medium density housing have been tested through different stages of consultation. As a result of that feedback and further field work, a final set of areas to be included in the 2GP, to be notified in the first half of next year, has been proposed.
Many of these areas are already zoned for, or developed as, medium density housing, but some new areas have been identified to cater for a predicted growth in demand for different housing types. From this week, owners and occupiers in areas of medium density zoning will be given a chance to see what is proposed in these areas and to provide feedback on the key draft Plan provisions.
Ms Johnson says the need to identify such areas reflects Dunedin’s changing demographics. “The city’s largest demographic growth area is one to two person households, which includes couples with no children at home. These so-called empty nesters often want to make a move to warm, low maintenance forms of housing in their existing neighbourhoods. We need to ensure the city’s planning rules have scope to do that.”
The proposed medium density zones would require a minimum site size of 200m2 for subdivision. In terms of existing sites and newly-subdivided sites, 45m2 of land would be required for each ‘habitable room’, which equates to a room that is, or could be, a bedroom. Providing all performance standards related to the building were met, this would allow, for example, a four bedroom house, or two semi-detached residential units with two bedrooms each, to be built on a 200m2 site.
Research by DCC planning staff and public submissions on the 2GP point to the need for medium density housing in areas where there is good access to public transport, community facilities and green spaces. There are 23 areas that have been identified for medium density zoning. Five of these may need infrastructure upgrades if significantly more development occurred. The 23 areas include areas that are already zoned medium density, areas where development is at a higher level than is currently permitted and areas that might benefit from redevelopment to improve the range and quality of housing available. It also includes areas where there is a market for more housing choices, where some change in housing types can occur without a major impact on existing amenity values.
Neighbourhoods already zoned for medium density (residential 2, 3 and 4) include areas below the Town Belt, around the University campus and parts of Caversham and Mosgiel. Areas where there is already quite a lot of medium density housing include parts of Mornington, City Rise, the Gardens area and North East Valley. In some suburbs, such as Opoho, Roslyn, Belleknowes, Andersons Bay, Waverley and parts of Caversham, residential 1 zoning currently restricts building to a minimum 500m2 site, but there is a market for more housing choices.
“We believe medium density housing could be provided for, with appropriate design standards, in areas like these without significant impact on the amenity values of the area,” Ms Johnson says. “Ultimately we want to spread the options for medium density housing across the city and not just be focusing on older areas that may be perceived as less desirable. We want people to have choices as they get older. Not everyone who wants to live in an apartment or low maintenance home wants to live in the central city. People want choices in their own neighbourhoods and there is a growing demand for quality smaller homes in our popular suburbs.”
In addition to the medium density housing zones, a further eight areas are proposed to be zoned as heritage residential zones, but with density and plan provisions similar to those for medium density zones.
█ From Wednesday, visit http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/2gp for more details and to fill out a survey on medium density housing. Consultation closes on Friday, 7 November.
Contact Anna Johnson – City Development Manager on 03 474 3874.
Dunedin Hospital’s physiotherapy pool has some bent admirers.
GUESS WHO ??
DCC Webmap – subject site
Last week What if? Dunedin received information that the pool’s threatened closure is far from what it seems. A long-term plan has been sighted, in which either the hospital (SDHB) or the University of Otago is shown to be eyeing up the pool building. Note —the pool and a large empty space used for parking immediately adjacent to the University’s student hostel property (at 490 Cumberland Street) are marked for “development”.
It is said the $1 million quoted for the pool’s building upgrade looks like ‘a bogeyman conjured up to make the kids settle down to sleep and stop asking awkward questions’.
Own Vision: Princes Street (entrance to Distinction Dunedin hotel)
Own Vision: Vogel Street
Own Vision: Octagon
Own Vision: Queens Garden 1
Own Vision: Queens Garden 2
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The Central City Plan involves these projects:
(er, thanks again Spendthrift Staff)
● Warehouse Precinct Revitalisation Plan
● Central City Heritage Re-use Grants Scheme
● Street Improvements in Bond and Vogel Streets
● Making Crawford and Cumberland Street Two-way
● Queens Garden Upgrade
● Exchange Square Upgrade
● The Octagon Upgrade
● George Street Upgrade
● Princes Street and South Princes Street Upgrade
● Pocket Parks
● Improved Pedestrian and Cycle Safety in the Central City
●●●● Other Projects and Initiatives
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What “Other Projects and Initiatives” ?!!
As well as specific place-based projects, the draft Central City Plan outlines other projects and initiatives relevant to the central city area:
● Investigate the location and provision of public toilets and restrooms throughout the central city in a toilet priority plan
● Design a plan for the incorporation of public art in the streetscape
● Investigate opportunities for using a range of public spaces in the central city for events as alternative/additional venues to the Octagon
● Develop a plan to improve the pedestrian experience along the routes from the campus to the ‘warehouse precinct’ (night and day)
● Investigate opportunities for more play equipment in central city spaces, such as the Library Plaza and Albion Lane
● Improve the quality of footpaths, including paving surface, furniture, trees and planting, and making them wider where possible
● Encourage building owners to add decorative lighting to highlight buildings that have heritage/ architectural values
● Improve lighting for pedestrians in some areas
● Improve processes and streamline procedures to help building owners re-use their buildings
● Work on a strategy to overcome procedural and financial barriers to revitalisation in the ‘warehouse district’
● Make District Plan changes to better reflect built form, help and promote quality development, review activity zones and activities, and protect special character in the central city and large-scale retail zone
● Prepare a development resource package telling prospective businesses about the Dunedin facilities, amenities and lifestyle
● Liaise with a building owner/developer to undertake a pilot project to help develop a creative quarter
● Consider the location of key tourist information facilities
● Investigate the desired model for a central city retail management body
● Work on a plan to encourage trucks coming from the Southern Motorway and heading to the port to follow Strathallan and Wharf Streets.
● Investigate the need for the development of a parking building in the light of the vision for a creative quarter
● Work with ORC to consider options for improving public transport flow and provision in the central city
● Assess options to improve pedestrian and cyclist connections across SH1, the railway lines and Thomas Burns Street
● Investigate the need for a transport hub for coach parking, cruise ship passenger drop-off and visitor parking, including campervans
● Improve visitor and information signage throughout the central city
● Build cycle storage facilities in strategic locations
● Undertake detailed investigation of measures need to promote the ‘Western Inner Relief Route’
● Encourage the freeholding of leasehold land.
### ODT Online Tue, 3 Jun 2014
Opinion Transport strategy must respect personal needs
By Phil Cole
Dunedin has its own unique geographic, demographic and historical features that make any transportation planning in the city reliant on forward-thinking, rather than academic theoretical practices. The historical past of Dunedin’s transportation, however, should only be ignored at its peril. It is vitally important for Dunedin’s direction that any long-term transport planning is determined not by short-term populist ideas but by long-term growth, based on economic conditions, city development and people’s habits. It is equally important council land-use planning is closely aligned to, but does not determine, how the city can be rejuvenated. Read more
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Riccarton Rd resident Brian Miller said the council was not trying to reach a fair and reasonable settlement and valuations were being forced on landowners.
### ODT Online Wed, 4 Jun 2014 Offers prepared for land
By Shawn McAvinue
The land needed to widen Riccarton Rd will be obtained by statutory authority if a mutual agreement can not be met, Dunedin City Council roading projects engineer Evan Matheson says. […] Some landowners were hesitant to make land available, he said. Read more
█ UNDEMOCRATIC—Council staff agendas are directing major changes to Dunedin’s road networks. Continued use of exclusive ‘workshops’ lacks transparency and accountability.
Cr Hilary Calvert asks ‘why councillors were not more involved in developing the strategic cases’. (ODT)
Cr Lee Vandervis says ‘the problems identified were based on ”absurd or probably false” assumptions’. (ODT)
STAFF ASSUMPTIONS
► There is too much parking in Dunedin
► Restricted parking will increase use of public transport
► Encouraging more people to cycle makes roads safer
### ODT Online Tue, 6 May 2014 Council notes roading strategic cases
By Debbie Porteous
The first step towards securing funding for major changes to Dunedin’s road networks has been taken by the Dunedin City Council, even though exactly what those changes will be is yet to be decided. Councillors yesterday noted council staff had taken the first of six steps in a new process for applying for funding from the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA). Read more
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█ Strategic Case Development for Improvements to Dunedin’s Central City and Freight Network Report – ISC – 05/05/2014 (PDF, 993.6 KB)
Excerpts from the report…
Council staff have recently submitted two Strategic Case applications to the NZ Transport Agency; one for investment to improve the access, mobility and safety of the Central City; and the other to enhance Dunedin’s Freight Network. Pending approval from the NZTA, Council staff will begin the Programme Business Case stage, where investment options and alternatives will begin to be developed and defined. Staff will seek Councillor support and input prior to the submission of the Programme Business Case to the NZ Transport Agency, anticipated to be later this year.
The NZ Transport Agency has recently adopted a Better Business Case approach to guide the planning and project development for investment applications. It is a principles-based approach that clearly links their investment goals to outcomes, and defines problems and their consequences thoroughly before solutions are considered. This approach ensures a shared view of problems and benefits early in the transport planning process. The business case approach encourages early engagement with stakeholders to confirm:
● fit with strategy and need to invest
● the way forward with short-listed options
● that the best value option is affordable and deliverable and that the risks are acceptable.
To execute many of the projects outlined in Dunedin’s Integrated Transport Strategy requires funding from external sources. A significant source of transportation funding is potentially available from the NZ Transport Agency. As detailed above, Council must now apply for funding from the NZ Transport Agency through their Better Business Case approach. This stepped approach ensures that any solutions are in response to clearly defined problems, and are aligned to the NZ Transport Agency’s investment goals.
Council staff held initial discussions with key stakeholders, the NZ Transport Agency and the Otago Regional Council to define the areas of focus for investment. The group agreed that the Council should focus on establishing two Strategic Cases: 1. Dunedin Central City: Access, Mobility and Safety; 2. Dunedin Freight Network. These areas strongly align with those set out in our Integrated Transport Strategy.
The first step of establishing the Strategic Case is to develop an Investment Logic Map (ILM). The ILMs set out the key problems and the benefits of solving the problems. Two ILM workshops were hosted for each of the areas of focus. Participants included the key stakeholders (DCC staff, Council Committee Chairs – Cr Wilson, Cr Benson-Pope, Cr McTavish; NZ Transport Agency and the ORC) and relevant partner organisations (including Otago Chamber of Commerce, Public Health South, Port Otago Ltd, Kiwirail, and Heavy Haulage Association).
[see ILMs for each Strategic Case at Attachment 1]
…
Strategic Case – Executive Summary
Staff from the Dunedin City Council (DCC), the NZ Transport Agency and Otago Regional Council (ORC), as well as the Public Health Service and the Otago Chamber of Commerce participated in two Investment Logic Mapping (ILM) workshops to identify the key access, mobility and safety problems in central Dunedin, and determine the benefits of investing in solutions that address these problems.
This report sets out the strategic case for improving access, mobility and safety in central Dunedin. Part A provides the strategic context and fit of the proposed investment and the evidence to support the justification for investment. Part B describes how the three contributing organisations intend to develop the next stage of business planning – the programme business case. This section outlines the further planning needed to achieve the identified benefits.
This application shows that that there are some key synergies between the strategies and objectives of the three key stakeholder organisations, where priorities for future investment align. Evidence supporting each of the key problems identified in the ILM workshops is outlined section 3.4, and reveals a strong case for change and need for investment.
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3.1 Defining the Problem
Dunedin City Council convened a facilitated investment logic mapping workshop that was held on 10th February 2014, with key stakeholders to gain a better understanding of current issues and business needs. The stakeholder panel identified and agreed to the following key problems:
Problem one: SH1, the railway and north/south arterial routes bisect areas of high pedestrian use resulting in dislocation and poor connectivity of key areas
Problem two: The design, use and management of central city routes results in intermodal conflict
Problem three: Management and provision of car parking is not integrated into the transport network, which favours car use, impacting adversely on the quality of life in the City
Problem four: The design, management and lack of integration of public transport discourages use and leads to low patronage
[see the Investment Logic Map at Appendix A]
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3.2 The Benefits of Investment
The potential benefits of successfully investing to address these were identified as part of a second facilitated investment logic mapping held on 17th February, 2014. The stakeholder panel identified and agreed the following potential benefits for the proposal: (CONFIRM)
● Benefit one: Reduced severance
● Benefit two: Improved safety
● Benefit three: Central City is a ‘nice place to be’
● Benefit four: Greater resilience
[see Benefit Map at Appendix B]
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Figure 1: High risk areas identified through risk mapping
A risk assessment process known as KiwiRAP maps the collective crash risk of roads based on the physical and operating characteristics of intersections and corridors, as well as crash history. The map shows that Dunedin’s high risk areas (shown in black and red) are predominantly located within the central city, as demonstrated in Figure 1.
…
4 Strategic Context
This section demonstrates how the investment proposal has clear linkages to existing strategies of each of the stakeholders. There are some key synergies between the three organisations, where priorities for future investment align. A summary of the strategies that support this investment proposal from each of the stakeholders is detailed below. The goals and/or objectives selected are those with direct relevance to this investment proposal.
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6.4 Scope
The evidence to support the three problem statements developed during the Investment Logic Mapping workshops generally provides a strong case for change. It is also evident that many of the problems have existed for some time as many of the issues raised were recognised in the MWH 2003 Strategic Corridor Study and the 2006 Transport Strategy.
…
7.1 Risk/Issues and Opportunities
Key risks for this business case are likely to include:
● Alignment with Regional Land Transport Plan and Council’s Long Term Plan Timeframes
● Ability for Council to raise funding co-contribution
● Support for the projects from Councillors
● Support for the projects from the community
● Further deaths and serious injuries from crashes should the project not proceed
Appropriate risk management strategies for these key risks will be identified at the Programme Business Case stage. As the busine ss case evolves and projects are defined it is likely that other risks are likely to be identified and these will be added to the risk register.
█ Dunedin City Integrated Transport Strategy 2013
Developing, maintaining and operating any transport system requires investment, and investment requires decision-making about what to invest in, how much to invest and when that investment should be made. Such decisions need to be informed by an understanding of the key issues and opportunities to be addressed, a clear vision of what is to be achieved, and a clear set of priorities that will move toward that vision. In times of financial constraint when funding is tight the need to clearly identify the right priorities becomes even more important. The DCC have adopted a Financial Strategy which aims to help steer a course between the competing tensions of affordability, keeping up and investing for the future. This Financial Strategy states the limits to rates and borrowing that the Council has set, and any investment in transportation infrastructure must be managed with regard to the Financial Strategy.
Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Parking Changes for Hospital Area
This item was published on 14 Jan 2014.
Some changes to on-street parking outside Dunedin Hospital are coming soon as part of measures to improve cyclist safety. The changes will occur in the block of Cumberland Street between Hanover and Frederick Streets and should be implemented in late January/early February.
Dunedin City Council Senior Traffic Engineer Ron Minnema says, “The objective of the changes is to reduce the risk to cyclists by reducing the number of conflicts between vehicles manoeuvring into car parks and northbound cyclists.”
The changes will also complement the wider cycle lanes. The changes involve increasing the maximum time period on the 13 pay and display parks from four hours to all day, removing the bus stop, installing no stopping lines immediately south of the entrance to the Hospital car park and construction of two extra mobility parks. That will mean there will be four mobility parks (two more than at present) and 2 P5 parks (one less than at present).
The Southern District Health Board, the NZ Transport Agency, the Automobile Association and the Otago Regional Council have been consulted about the parking changes, Mr Minnema says. The changes, which are part of short-term safety measures to improve cyclist safety in the central city, were discussed by the Council in May 2013.
Once the changes have been made, the DCC will monitor the on-street parks outside the Hospital on Great King, Hanover and Frederick Streets. The results will be discussed with the Health Board to determine whether any further changes are required on these streets.
Earlier in 2013, minor changes to parking took place at 17 sites in the central city. All these parking changes are in response to the Council in November 2012 asking the NZ Transport Agency to identify short-term measures to improve cyclist safety, as well as developing a long-term plan with the same vision.
Part of the long-term plan is a separated cycle lane proposal which involves two preferred long-term options for improving the safety of Dunedin’s one-way sections of State Highway 1. Consultation on this proposal closed on 6 December last year.
Responding to an espousal on ‘Cycleways and parking issues’ at ODT Online:
DCC’s +$47M cycleways project
Submitted by ej kerr on Thu, 14/11/2013 – 11:13pm.
Cr MacTavish has better things to do. She knows it. Her job
as a city councillor is to take the air out of her various
tyres and acknowledge that her loose-assemblage greenwash
‘political party’ should stop its spendthrift ways. Far
better that they bend over backwards on quickly retiring the
council’s +$623M consolidated debt. A harder workout than
cruising on SH1 with the wind up their tails.
****
Hype O’Thermia kindly forwards this link for serious entertainment…
Published on 13 Nov 2013. ClarkeandDawe. An Honest Assessment, Project by Project
“Tony Abbott. Head Prefect.” Originally aired on ABC TV: 14/11/2013.
ABCTV: For 25 years, John Clarke and Bryan Dawe have been engaged in discourse on a range of issues. These interviews appear each week on television, radio and online and several collections have been released on CD, DVD and in book form. Every Thursday a fresh interview is loaded and fired into the blithersphere. It can be seen at mrjohnclarke.com, their YouTube site or the Facebook page.
“Whilst I know there will be a lot of people that are very favourable towards these changes, overwhelmingly the business community seems to be bearing the brunt of the impact.”
–John Christie, Otago Chamber ODT Link
Uploaded on 18 Sep 2006. — Bicycle! Bicycle! Bicycle! / I want to ride my bicycle / I want to ride my bike / I want to ride my bicycle / I want to ride it where I like / You say black I say white…
Published on 6 Mar 2012. Sons of Silence. — I rise in the morning, and greet the day / pull out the bike and I’m on my way / The transportation shows I care / Every turn of the pedal – cleans the air…
Published on 3 Jul 2012. — Riding on my bike on a Tuesday night I’m collecting rhymes / I pedal to the left then I kick it to the right and then I change my mind / I met a man who’s shipping bikes to Africa…
### dunedintv.co.nz November 8, 2013 – 7:16pm Public consultation on State Highway safety options begins today
Dunedin residents are being asked for their views on two preferred options for improving the safety of the one way sections of State Highway One. There have already been some short term safety improvements made, but as the cycle network is expanded and developed the focus is on the long-term. Video
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Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Feedback Sought on Cycle Safety Options
This item was published on 08 Nov 2013.
Residents are being asked for their views on two preferred long-term options for improving the safety of Dunedin’s one-way sections of State Highway 1.
The NZ Transport Agency (Transport Agency) has been working with the Dunedin City Council (DCC) to improve cycle safety on State Highway 1 between the Dunedin Botanic Garden and Queens Gardens.
Since 2003, there have been 13 crashes on the State Highway 1 one-way streets in the central city that resulted in serious injury to cyclists, including three fatal crashes. There was also a cyclist fatality in 1998.
There have already been some short-term safety improvements and the focus has now shifted to long-term cycle safety as an expanded cycle network is developed for the city.
Public consultation on the two preferred options begins today and ends at 5pm on Friday, 6 December.
Under both options, the cycle lane would be shifted to the right-hand side of the road and physically separate cyclists from traffic. For the first option, the separated cycle lane would continue to run along both of the one-way routes, with cyclists travelling in the same direction as the traffic. Option two involves a wider separated cycle lane. It would run along Cumberland Street (linked in the vicinity of the S bends by Emily Siedeberg Place), with cyclists able to travel in both directions.
The proposal is at a very early stage and if it goes ahead it could be 2-4 years before construction starts.
The estimated cost for the project is $3.5 million to $4.5 million.
Feedback from the community on the two options will be used to develop one preferred option for a separated cycle lane that is expected to be considered by the Council early next year.
Transport Agency Projects Team Manager Simon Underwood says a separated cycle lane would support the Safe System approach which underpins the road safety work of both the Transport Agency and the DCC. This approach recognises road users do make mistakes and whether injuries result is influenced by the nature of the collision or impact.
“This is highly relevant to cycle lanes where cyclists have to interact with other road users in many ways. Even in collisions with relatively low vehicle speeds, there is still a risk of severe injury. The aim of the separated cycle lanes is to reduce crash risk by reducing the extent to which cyclists and general traffic interact.” –Simon Underwood
“This proposal is all about safety. Concern about cyclist safety is what led the Council to ask for options for the central city and now we want to know which option people prefer.” –Dave Cull
Other possible ‘north-south’ cycle routes were considered, but the two preferred options out for consultation are the only feasible routes.
DCC Transportation Planning Manager Sarah Connolly says both options will have an impact on parking spaces on the street, with 391 spaces affected under option one and 185 under option two.
Feedback is also being sought on ways to address parking provision for the area, should the proposal go ahead. Options include moving affected parking meters, P5s and other time restricted parking to adjacent streets where practical and promoting the use of vacant parks in existing car parking areas and buildings. The DCC could also consider providing extra angle parking in Union, St David, Dundas, Howe and Duke Streets, and providing more commercial parking, such as a new parking building.
To access an online survey form or for more information on the separated cycle lane options, visit www.nzta.govt.nz/dunedincyclesafe, or email your comments to dunedinshcyclelanes @ nzta.govt.nz. Alternatively, ring 03 477 4000 for an information pack, or post your comments to:
Cycle Lane Feedback
C/o NZ Transport Agency
PO Box 5245
Moray Place
Dunedin 9058
People are also welcome to come along to the following drop-in sessions:
● 12 noon – 2pm, Thursday 14 November, Wall Street Mall
● 3pm – 6pm, Tuesday 19 November, Otago Settlers Museum
● 12 noon – 2pm, Wednesday 20 November, The Link (University of Otago)
Contact Transportation Planning Manager on 03 477 4000.
Dunedin City Council – Media Release
Remember – Share the Road
This item was published on 08 Nov 2013.
Scooters, skateboards, horses and vintage cars will be among the forms of transport on the move during Sunday’s Share the Road Parade. The parade will launch the Dunedin City Council’s Share the Road campaign, which encourages all road users to be considerate so everyone can use the road safely.
DCC Safe and Sustainable Travel Co-ordinator Charlotte Flaherty says, “The parade offers an opportunity for many different road user groups to get together and celebrate each other and our transport system.
“People assume the road is for motorised transport only, but it is used by numerous groups, such as horse riders, cyclists and pedestrians as well.” –Charlotte Flaherty
The parade will start outside the Dental School in Great King Street at 2.30pm. It will travel along Frederick and George Streets and arrive in the Octagon at 3pm. A Master of Ceremonies will give a commentary as the various groups arrive at the Octagon. Read more
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
*Images: NZTA – (top) Option for a two-way separated cycle lane on Cumberland St, shown near North Ground; (bottom) option for a separated cycle lane, shown near hospital entrance on Cumberland St.
Mayor refuses to recognise chaos created by buses and council-imposed parking changes in the CBD.
Dunedin City Council moves to activate commercial activity in the city’s warehouse district south of the Queens Gardens pose risks for existing business, gallery owner says.
### DScene 31 Oct 2012 Businesses slam council focus (page 5)
By Wilma McCorkindale
David McLean was adding his voice to jeweller Brent Weatherall’s recent criticism of the council’s support of business in the city. Weatherall said the Dunedin City Council (DCC) was dictatorial rather than consultative on some aspects of its economic development strategy, in the wake of a battle over the proposed council banning of footpath signs. Otago Chamber of Commerce retail committee members believed consultation was largely ignored, Weatherall said.
The council needed to focus on parking concerns and attracting businesses into empty main street shops.
Constant requests for a CBD shuttle appeared to have been ignored, even though [McLean] mooted it several times. He believed a free or cheap shuttle would help circulate shoppers throughout the city business district. The Otago Regional Council, which administers public transport in the city, did not have a responsibility for keeping activity going in the CBD, he said. “And yet buses are an issue for that.”
Transport issues in the city held the town to ransom, especially struggling businesses south of the Octagon, some of which had already been forced to shut. “Now we’ve got a focus on the new warehouse district. They’re going to end up with a city ghost town.”
Concerns over loss of main street parking, replaced in some cases by bus stops – with buses sitting on them pumping out dirty diesel – remained a problem. [McLean] had repeatedly asked for free 30-minute parks to be reinstated in the main street to encourage people into the Princes St side of the Octagon. However, the loss of parks continued to be an issue in the wake of council’s botched 2009 parking restructure, he said.
“Council is very aware of the strength of the main street – of the main shopping street,” Cull said. “We wouldn’t do anything to compromise that.”
Dunedin Mayor Dave Cull said the council consulted widely with the business community as well as those in the wider community, and that such decisions did not always please everyone. Some may have misunderstood the focus of the proposed warehousing precinct, which was intended to have a creative and residential focus. Cull understood parking issues had been sorted. #bookmark
### ODT Online Wed, 13 Jul 2011 Call to reject retail development
By Chris Morris
Plans for a multimillion-dollar Green Island retail development should be rejected to help protect Dunedin’s main street experience from a “death by a thousand cuts”, a Dunedin City Council planner says. Irmo Properties Ltd has applied for resource consent to refurbish the rundown Iron Roller Mills Building on Irmo St, Green Island, turning it into a new 4900sq m retail complex with 187 car parks. Read more
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Comment by Barch67 at ODT Online:
If the developer were to re-name it “The Rugby World Cup Retail Development”, it’d be consented by now. Link
### ODT Online Fri, 2 Jul 2010 Editorial: City parking
Any discussion about city parking, and therefore any policy on the matter, should return to the underlying reason for restricted and paid parking. Fundamentally, it exists so that shoppers and others going about their business in and near town can find somewhere temporary and reasonably handy to park their cars.
Often, however, parking policies have – whether articulated or not – other aims, particularly revenue gathering. This temptation should be, but seldom is, resisted. Whatever the protestations of councillors, the evidence is strong that this is one of the main goals in Dunedin.
### ODT Online Wed, 30/06/2010 – 9:49am.
Comment by Kiwi-Lass on Outrageous parking restrictions
The council have become greedy in their parking fines. My mum lives at the north end of George St, down by the gardens and she’s been ticketed for parking outside her own house, for stupid reasons. Now she is being told that the council are going to make all of George St no parking and that she will need to buy a residential parking permit, which at no stage will guarantee that she will be able to find parking. This is crazy. She owns the house in which she lives in and pays the yearly city council rates – should this not mean that she is entitled to park outside of her house?
Fire drill(front page)
The Fire Service is putting a dampener on Dunedin developers converting old commercial buildings to accommodation, saying they need to pass muster before people can live in them. One inner city dwelling has already been shut down. See p3.
Fire service begins blitz (page 3)
By Wilma McCorkindale
The New Zealand Fire Service is embarking on a blitz of Dunedin buildings, fearing hiking numbers of aging industrial and office blocks being illegally let as flats. The city’s deputy fire chief Trevor Tilyard said the fire service had already advised Dunedin City Council building control to shut down illegal flats in Skinners Building on the corner of Jetty and Crawford streets.
{continues}
New outlook (page 4)
Ravensbourne’s Harbour View Hotel has a new owner who is banking on the Forsyth Barr Stadium to give his investment a new lease of life. Publican Alastair McGaw who took possession in February has already given the pub, built around 1920, a new name, Stadium Lodge and Backpackers.
{continues}
Filming unit set to expand (page 5)
Dunedin based production house NHNZ has plans to expand its global presence and set up a production office in the Middle East. NHNZ already has offices in Washington DC, Singapore and Beijing and is increasingly active in Australia and South Africa.
{continues}
Resource consent given (page 5)
By Wilma McCorkindale
Heritage building owner Lawrie Forbes has achieved a resource consent under existing user rights for his urban renewal of the former Rogan McIndoe buildings.
{continues}
Talk: Dunedin on Dunedin (page 7)
Your say: Letters to the editor Parking ticket debate by Kevin Thompson, Development Services Manager, Dunedin City Council
![cartoon-explosion-17525964 [dreamstime.com] 2](https://dunedinstadium.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/cartoon-explosion-17525964-dreamstime-com-2.jpg)
What if? Dunedin... 