Executive Summary

This report covers my Waitematā Local Board Activities during February 2014 as Deputy Chair of the Finance Committee, Deputy Chair of the Hearings Committee, Co-portfolio holder of Parks and Open Spaces, Co-portfolio holder of Heritage, Urban Design and Planning and Local Board representative on the K Road Business Association.

A very active month as we pick up after the summer break. This month has been dominated by consultation and planning for the draft Karangahape Precinct Plan.

Karangahape Rd Precinct Plan

Consultation and planning on this plan is moving forward at a rapid pace. There were three consultation and engagement workshops held on the 19^th of February. The targeted stakeholder engagements in the morning and afternoon were a valuable opportunity to meet local retailer, community groups and advocates. I came away from these meetings with a number of pressing matters, independent of the plan, that will be further advanced in the coming months.

Heritage Protection

 This is an ongoing concern and one that is of particular significance on Karangahape Road. Only a handful of the buildings on K Rd have been scheduled for protection and with the planned development of the K Rd area more concrete protections need to be put in place to retain the intact streetscapes that remain in this area. I have worked with Barbara Holloway of the K Rd Business Association to ensure that Council’s Heritage Assessment of the K Rd area has been fully included and properly referenced in the KBA’s submission. We have ensured that the correct planning protections have been requested and correctly referred to in the submission so that they can be properly be considered in the upcoming Unitary Plan deliberations.

Parks

A new drinking fountain installed at Vermont Reserve. Note the dog drinking bowl.

The Parks portfolio has initiated a monthly site inspection in which the portfolio holders and Parks officer, Mark Miller, visit a park in the Local Board Area. This month’s site visit included Tole Reserve and Vermont Reserve. It was great to see our water fountains being installed.

See also the ‘community library’ initiative started at Vermont Reserve. We support this and will encourage it at other parks in the Board area.

A volunteer initiative. These ‘community library’ boxes are installed and maintained at no cost to Council.

Gordon Price Seminar

Visiting speaker, Gordon Price, a six-term Vancouver councillor and Director of the Simon Fraser University programme in City Studies led a Council-run seminar on ‘Density Done Well’. This was an excellent session from a presenter who is not only an expert in urbanism but who has also brings the experience of being an elected representative. We had a good conversation on the promotion of cycleways/greenways to retailers at the end of the session.

 Meetings/Events Attended

4 February:

Local Board Workshop

Meeting with Barbara Holloway (K Rd Business Association) and Gurv Singh (Council planner) about the K Rd Precinct Plan

5 February:

Finance Committee and Local Improvement Projects (LIPs) meeting

8 February:

Attended Ciclovia: an all-day cycling event in which a large portion of Quay Street was closed to cars.

10 February:

Attended a meeting of the Arch Hill Residents Association at which they discussed their plans regarding the legal challenge to the consent for the Arch Hill Bunnings.

11 February:

Site visit/Hikoi with Ngati whatua o orakei representatives to inspect the Hobson Bay walkway and discuss possible options for its extension.

Local Board Monthly Business Meeting

12 February:

At the Go-by-Bike Breakfast with (l to r) Pippa Coom, me, Richard Barter, Christopher Dempsey.

Attended the ‘Go By Bike Breakfast’ with Members Coom and Dempsey.

Meeting re: K Rd Precinct Plan

Meeting with expert arborists and ecologists seeking their views on the Western Springs pine stand.

13 February:

Local Board Workshop

Parks Portfolio Monthly Meeting

15 February:

Public consultation on the Local Board Plan at Ellen Melville Hall

18 February:

Local Board Workshop

Parks update on Waitemata Wayfinding

Local Board Briefing on Emergency Management with Civil Defence

Project briefing: proposed transport project

Meeting with the K Road Business Association

19 February:

Targeted stakeholder engagement for K Rd Precinct Plan: morning and afternoon sessions

Public Session Ideas Evening for K Rd Precinct Plan

20 February:

Parks Portfolio Meeting

Meeting with Chris Bailey of the Western Bays Community Group

Local Board Finance Committee meeting

Public Meeting: Local Board Plan – Parnell

25 February:

Local Board Workshop

Local Board Members Seminar with Gordon Price

Auckland Conversations: Auckland and Vancouver – The new post-sustainability city: Allies from unexpected places

26 February:

Long Term Plan All-day Scene Setting Workshop

27 February:

K Rd Precinct Plan Workshop

Meeting with John McDonald of Splice about social needs and issues in the inner city

Meeting to discuss safety issues in Myers Park with community services and Police

Local Board Briefing on Resource Management Consents

Unveiling of the ‘Eyelight Lane’ public artwork