A warm welcome to subscribers who have joined recently š Iām slightly rearranging my online presence and hope that this occasional newsletter continues be a helpful way to keep in touch.
Long post alert: itās been a busy few months in community and with my new job, so thereās lots to discuss and itās a while since I posted.
Cycleways are in the news yet again, in part for really positive reasons, Iāve been elected as the regional representative on a Local Government New Zealand advisory committee for Community Boards, Iāve been for a long run, and more.
Please make yourself comfortable and read onā¦
Council
The Wheels to Wings ā Papanui ki WaiwhetÅ« major cycle route has featured in a number of my recent newsletters, and it will again today, but first letās start with some good news on the Northern Line MCR.
Green light for Northern Line cycleway crossings and missing sections
This week the Council approved the detailed design of incomplete sections of the Northern Line major cycleway route. Staff emphasised that Council were being asked to approve the ālines and signsā associated with an already-approved scheme design, and advised that construction of missing sections north of Northcote Road can start next month. Crossing upgrades at Harewood, Langdons, and Sawyers Arms Roads are due to commence in late 2023. For details, see page 5 onwards in the agenda (PDF link).
Strong cycleway support in Annual Plan submissions
Recent months have been a rollercoaster, with an unsuccessful move to ādefer or even cancel the Wheels to Wings cyclewayā, and more recently a separate proposal to defer construction via the Annual Plan process. On the bright side, subsequent feedback on cycleways (including Wheels to Wings) in submissions on cityās draft Annual Plan is overwhelmingly positive - Iāve written about this on my website, noting in particular that of 297 Annual Plan submissions that specifically mentioned the Wheels to Wings, 79% were against any deferral.
The Council recently heard submissions on the Annual Plan, including from our Community Board (see below). We can look forward to deliberations and decisions by the end of June.
More on the Wheels to Wings: Council releases closed-door briefing
One further update on the Wheels to Wings - I previously wrote that I found myself using the Councilās official information (LGOIMA) process to access information presented to Councillors at their February 2023 closed-door briefing. The briefing slides and a redacted version of the video presented to Councillors was subsequently provided to me. Iāve written about that and shared the Councilās material on Think Papanui.
Update: Draft Housing and Business Choice Plan Change (Plan Change 14)
This Plan Change is the package of proposed changes that would bring the District Plan in line with the National Policy Statement - Urban Development (NPS-UD) and the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act, to enable more development in the cityās existing urban footprint. The changes include enabling the building of up to three homes, up to three storeys high in most residential areas, and greater development around the central city and some other areas.
The plan change was notified by the Council in March, and the submission period recently ended. Some aspects of the plan change (essentially the āthree houses of three storiesā bit) were anticipated to come into effect immediately upon notification, however the Council has proposed a city-wide qualifying matter relating to sunlight access. Until this is decided on through the ongoing decision-making process, no part of the plan change will apply.
Next steps: submissions on the notified plan changes will be published over the coming months; an independent hearings panel will conduct hearings later in the year; and that panel will then provide the Council with recommendations. More information on the plan change is available on the Councilās website, and no doubt further updates will be posted also.
Community Board
Board submits on Annual Plan - encourages progress on Wheels to Wings
In April Emma Norrish and I visited Council to present our Community Boardās submission on the Draft Annual Plan. Our written submission can be found in the agenda for the meeting, and video of our presentation is available on YouTube. We had a few questions from Councillors at the end of our presentation, including on support for youth in our community, and also with respect to the Board's position on the Wheels to Wings cycleway. Our submission on the cycleway is (emphasis added):
āThe Board is pleased (consultation doc p.20) that a Council priority is āCompleting the Major Cycle Routes so we can deliver longstanding commitments and make the most of Government subsidies that may not be available later.ā The Board refers to its previous submission in support of the Wheels to Wings cycleway, and suggests that to propose ā...not starting construction on the Wheels to Wings cycleway for 12 months to give councillors and staff time to work closely with the community to address concerns about the cyclewayās designā (consultation doc p.21) is at odds with the Councilās stated priority. The Board further notes that the Wheels to Wings cycleway has already been through two rounds of public consultation, a hearings panel process, and that the scheme design has been approved by the Council. To defer construction would be a breach of the Councilās long standing commitment to deliver the cycleway and of trust with the community.ā
Outcomes from recent Community Board meetings
All our meetings are livestreamed on the Boardās Facebook page and YouTube channel, so if youāre interested but itās not convenient to attend in person, thereās always the option to watch the video in real time or retrospectively. After each of our Board meetings I write an update for Think Papanui.
In March Ali Jones was also sworn in as a Community Board member following the recent by-election, we approved the scheme design and other changes associated with traffic light and intersection layouts for the new PAKānSAVE on Main North Road, and dealt with a range of other business - see Think Papanui for details of Marchās meeting.
In April we heard public forum presentations from members of the public, and attended to some parking & stopping restrictions and funding requests. See Think Papanui for details of Aprilās meeting.
Most recently, our May meeting was held at the Phillipstown Community Hub - part of a plan to get out of the boardroom from time to time, make use of some of the excellent community facilities in our Board area, and to make it easier for members of the public to connect with the Board. At this meeting we had a packed public forum section, approved Greening the East tree plantings (at the cost of some on-road car parks), adopted our Board Plan for 2023-25, and more - see Think Papanui for details of Mayās meeting.
In local news
Wrecking ball hangs over Oil Changers in Papanui?
Foodstuffs has construction underway on a new PAKānSAVE supermarket at the Northcote / Main North Road corner. News came to light a year ago that that the design had been altered āas a result of geotechnical investigationsā, with the basement car park deleted and the commercial buildings on the corner (the former Mad Butcher building and also the adjacent Oil Changers business) set to be demolished to provide replacement parking spaces.
Since that revelation Iāve been asking Foodstuffs for more information, including on the impact on Oil Changers. Just recently, Foodstuffs once again did not respond to my questions. At the same time, Oil Changersā owner Geoff Smart has advised me that heās also not heard from his landlord and that he has no plans to shift. Watch this space.
Some of what Iāve been up to
Another side-hustle
Thank you to Board chairs Emma Norrish and Bridget Williams, who nominated me as regional representative on LGNZās Community Boards Executive Committee (CBEC), and to the Community Boards that supported my nomination with their vote. CBEC is an advisory committee to LGNZās National Council. It advocates for community boards and promotes best practice. To date this triennium CBEC has held one formal meeting, and weāve gotten together less formally online a couple of times. Weāll have an all-day Zoom hui next month to progress our mahi.
Since being elected to CBEC Iāve been in touch with the 153 Community Board members in my Zone to introduce myself and seek some feedback, and CBEC has: drafted a strategy for the term; worked to improve LGNZās communication with Community Board members; requested support from Councils for an LGNZ AGM remit regarding Central Government action on KiwiSaver for all elected members; and planned a national online meeting for all Community Board members.
What else Iāve been doing
It was great joining 4,000 other runners participating in the various distances on offer at the Christchurch Marathon. This was my first full marathon for a few years and I was pleased to do a respectable time.
Itās been a busy season of community events, including promoting our consultation on our draft Community Board Plan in Phillipstown and Shirley in March, and more recently the fantastic Eid Al Fitr Festival in Hagley Park.
Along with my fellow Papanui representatives, I attended the ANZAC Day service in Papanui, and laid a wreath on behalf of the Community Board.
Along with one of my family members, I spent a morning planting coprosma on the banks of the PÅ«harakekenui Styx River with the Styx Living Laboratory Trust.
I spent a weekend volunteering back at my old workplace Te Ora Hou Åtautahi, helping to host visitors attending the Open Chch festival of architecture.
Yes, itās been busy, but also just recently I had the opportunity to spend a restful two nights on Doubtful Sound - an experience Iād recommend to anyone.
Thanks for reading! Please get in touch if youād like to discuss anything related to my Community Board role, or anything else mentioned above or that you know or think I might be interested in. You can also just hit āreplyā if youāve received this newsletter by email. If you just canāt wait to hear what Iām up to, follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more immediate updates.
Thanks for all the info Simon!