A warm welcome to subscribers who have joined recently đ Iâm slightly rearranging my online presence and hope that this newsletter continues be a helpful way to keep in touch.
Council
I nearly choked on my cornflakes this morning when I read Facebook posts from Mike Davidson and Councillor Sara Templeton highlighting âa move to defer or even cancel the Wheels to Wings cyclewayâ. Sara also notes that last week Councillors had a briefing on this cycleway, including âthe extensive consultation process and why staff do not recommend deferring itâ. Sara is seeking for the briefing to be make public ahead of Wednesdayâs meeting of the Finance and Performance Committee at which a big list of projects, including the Wheels to Wings, may be deferred. Reading the agenda item, a person could be forgiven for thinking Councillors are being asked to choose between âfix the roads in the eastâ and cycleways.
Draft Housing and Business Choice Plan Change (Plan Change 14)
Further to the webinars hosted by Council staff in December, there were further public webinars on 16 February on the proposed Housing and Business Choice Plan Change. 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 cityâs 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.
A post about the webinars can be found on the Councilâs Facebook page. At the time of writing the recordings of the webinars havenât been posted online, but keen an eye on the Plan Change web page as no doubt theyâll be there soon. The next significant step in the process is expected at a 1 March Council meeting.
Community Board
The Waipapa Papanui-Innes-Central Community Board met on the afternoon of Thursday 9 February. The meeting was livestreamed on the Boardâs Facebook page and YouTube channel. It was great to see a larger public turnout at our new meeting time compared with past meetings held first thing on a Friday morning.
I put up posts on my Facebook page and on Think Papanui with a summary of the outcomes from the meeting. A notable agenda item related to parking restrictions for Aberdeen Street in the central city - the staff proposal was approved by the Board despite me (and another Board colleague) opposing it. I agreed that the present situation on the highly-parked-out and very narrow street is unsafe and unsatisfactory, but disagreed with the approach taken to solving the problem. Itâs history now as the decision has been made, but please ask me if you want to know more.
By-election outcome
Further to my previous reports, the results are now in for the Innes Ward by-election. Congratulations to Ali Jones, who will re-join the board, having campaigned unsuccessfully for the Innes Council seat in last yearâs local body elections. We can expect Ali to be sworn in and our Board back to full strength at our next meeting on Thursday 9 March.
Some of what Iâve been up to
New year, new job
I've started a new role with Christchurchâs youth one-stop shop 298 Youth Health, leading a team to support young people into employment. Iâm currently hiring for youth employment team members, so please share this job ad if you know anyone who might be interested: https://www.seek.co.nz/job/60369348
What else Iâve been doing
Iâve enjoyed this summerâs 5k run series on Tuesday afternoons in Hagley Park. Iâm not quite in peak condition for fast short runs but itâs been good fun all the same. Running is my exercise of choice to keep in good physical and mental condition, and my training is currently tailored towards Aprilâs Christchurch Marathon, with next monthâs City to Surf as an intermediate milestone.
Last month I called in to the annual Skate Jam held at St Albans Park. This event is supported by the Central Community Board, as well as by Hellers, Skate Skool, Cheapskates, and Community Focus Trust.
At the end of January our board took at day to tour the Community Board area, starting the day at Papanui Bush (pic) and also visiting other significant sites and meeting local community groups.
At the start of this month our Board Chair Emma Norrish and I presented our regular monthly report to the Council, with an update on decisions made by the Board and on activities in our local area. Click the image above to watch our presentation.
Thanks for reading! Please get in touch if youâd 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 âreplyâ if youâve received this newsletter by email. If you just canât wait to hear what Iâm up to, follow me on Facebook and Instagram for more immediate updates.