Waimakariri business owners call for 'user-friendly' car parks
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Car parking needs to be ‘‘accessible and user-friendly’’, say Rangiora and Kaiapoi business owners.
The Waimakariri District Council is planning to develop parking management plans for the district’s two main town centres over the next 12 to 18 months.
Kaiapoi Promotions Association acting chairperson Martin Pinkham said parking has not been adequately provided for as the town centre has developed.
Pinkham said the situation was ‘‘complicated’’ as the main shopping area was centred on the town’s main access route, Williams St, which had about 15,000 vehicle movements a day.
‘‘People who are a bit older don’t like parking in the main street because they don’t feel safe.’’
He said the car park behind the Ruataniwha Kaiapoi Civic Centre and Library was often full, while the recent commercial developments to the north of the river were developed without adequate parking.
New subdivisions such as Silverstream and Sovereign Palms were several kilometres from the town centre and there was no viable public transport system to provide connections.
Pinkham suggested a shuttle service could be introduced to support the growth in Kaiapoi and Rangiora.
Rangiora’s town centre also has its challenges, but local business owner Karl Howarth said there were good parking options, for now.
‘‘I don’t think there is a massive issue with parking at the moment,’’ Howarth said.
‘‘But we want to keep a vibrant town centre and we don’t have a viable public transport service, so people are reliant on their cars.’’
He said a parking building needed to be part of the council’s long-term planning.
Speaking at last week’s council meeting, the council’s strategy and programme senior adviser, Heike Downie, said $80,000 had been set aside in the 2024-34 long-term plan to develop the parking management plans.
She said the National Policy Statement for Urban Development removed the requirement for private developers to provide parking, which placed pressure on existing parking supply.
The potential for a parking building in Rangiora was identified in the council’s North of High Street Development Plan, developed following the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes.
Council staff have already held workshops with the Kaiapoi-Tuahiwi and Rangiora-Ashley community boards and planned to engage with local businesses over the next few months.
A community survey was also planned, Downie said.
A Southbrook (Rangiora) development plan is also in the pipeline.
The council also plans to begin conversations with the Oxford-Ohoka and Woodend-Sefton community boards about parking needs.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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Proposed Canterbury landfill faces huge opposition
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
More than 500 submissions have been received in response to a proposed managed fill landfill in North Canterbury.
Christchurch-based Protranz International Ltd has applied to Environment Canterbury and the Waimakariri District Council for resource consents to establish and operate a quarry and landfill operation at White Rock.
Waimakariri District Council planning manager Wendy Harris said the applicant was up against ‘‘probably the most organised local group I’ve ever seen’’.
‘‘They organised a protest march, they’ve got signs all around and they’ve got a website and a Facebook page.’’
She said the 548 submissions was more than the 421 submissions to the draft Waimakariri District Plan, which was notified in 2021.
A proposed housing development at Ohoka, near Rangiora, in 2022 received 630 submissions.
While the details of the submissions have yet to be released, it is understood the majority are opposed.
Harris said planners from the two councils will plan joint hearings early next year.
More than 100 people marched from Southbrook in Rangiora to the Waimakariri District Council lawn in High St in September to express their opposition.
Organiser Mike McCaleb said residents are concerned about the potential environmental damage to the Karetu River, which feeds into the Okuku River, and then the Ashley/Rakahuri River.
He said he was surprised there were not more submissions but said he was aware of several people who had issues with Environment Canterbury’s website timing out.
‘‘It will be interesting to see the details of the submissions.’’
Protranz is seeking to restore the Whiterock Quarry, at 150 and 174 Quarry Rd, North Loburn, to near its previous landform, by filling it with managed fill, building and demolition waste and contaminated soil material, including asbestos.
The company bought Whiterock Quarry in 2022 with plans to fill it with soils and inert construction rubble removed from building and land development sites in Christchurch and North Canterbury, which are sent to Kate Valley Landfill.
‘‘Sending this stuff to Kate Valley adds a massive cost to developers, homeowners and community organisations who have dirt to move, and fills Kate Valley with material that can be better managed somewhere else,’’ Protranz founder Gerard Daldry said.
He said Protranz commissioned a wide range of testing including site investigations, technical assessments and design of the managed fill to support the resource consent applications.
The reports found environmental risks were ‘‘extremely low and able to be mitigated’’, Daldry said.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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