New car park divides Ashburton councillors
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
The extension of car parking facilities along West St in Ashburton has divided councillors.
The Ashburton District Council has approved progressing with plans for an extension of the West St car park to the north on land owned by KiwiRail.
The decision split the councillors, with five votes for and four against- wit the matter was discussed in public excluded in April and released publicly in May.
Councillors Carolyn Cameron and Russell Ellis had their votes against the new car park progressing recorded.
Cameron believes it isn’t necessary at the moment.
“I don’t believe we fully understand the parking demands in the CBD."
A parking review completed two years ago suggested there was ample parking available in the CBD, she said, so there was no reason to go and pave over another area unnecessarily.
The CBD is currently going through changes, with businesses coming and going and satellite retail centres on the CBD fringes expanding, she said.
“I think we could have waited to see how it pans out.”
There is also the push to increase the number of people walking and cycling, Cameron said.
The development of the car park is subject to agreeing lease terms with KiwiRail.
The council approved carrying over the unspent $1.5 million from the 2021-22 budget into the 2022-23 year to contribute towards the design and construction of the car park.
With the 2022-23 year almost at an end and no lease agreement in place, the project will get carried over again to the 2023-24 year.
Responding to speculation in the community that the new car park would serve as a council staff car park, to correspond with the move to the new library and civic centre later this year, chief executive Hamish Riach was adamant it is a public car park.
“It will be a public car park, just like the existing West St car park, and anyone can use it, including [council] staff.
“It will also increase the CBD’s parking stocks and include parks for longer vehicles like motorhomes.”
The provision of all day or time-restricted car parks would be finalised in the designs and be subject to obtaining resource consent and agreeing lease terms with KiwiRail, Riach said.
The new library Te Pātaka a kā Tuhituhi and civic centre Te Waharoa a Hine Paaka will have ample car parking for the council fleet, councillors and group managers he said, as well as some parking for the public.
The current West St car park has 144 all day spaces and 84 time restricted (3 hour) spaces.
Here's Friday's Fizzler!
I can be written, I can be spoken, I can be exposed, I can be broken. What am I?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
-
48.3% Yes
-
49.8% No
-
2% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
Loading…
