Have your say on how development happens in the city centre
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
COUNCIL is seeking the public’s input as part of its review of the parts of the District Plan that relate to the city centre.
“The District Plan is really important because it sets out the way that development can happen in the central area,” says Environmental Policy Manager Bronwyn Little.
“For example, it states how tall buildings can be, what kinds of activities should be allowed – for example shops or apartments – and how big the city centre should grow. If people have a view on how they’d like the city centre to develop, now’s the time to have their say.
“We’ve put together a discussion document that looks at the key issues for our city centre and options to address them. We’d like people’s feedback on whether these are the right issues and which of the options they prefer.”
The discussion document identifies 10 main issues:
- Activities and land uses – what is the right mix and how can we encourage new uses?
- Urban form – how big or tall should the central area grow?
- Urban amenity – how can we develop the environment to encourage people to invest, use and enjoy it?
- River – how can we protect and utilise this key natural asset to benefit the city?
- Residential interface – how can we protect the amenity for people living at the edge of the city centre?
- Public space – how can our streets and parks enhance the function and attractiveness of the city?
- Transport – how can we encourage people into the city and help them to move around it?
- Heritage – what are the heritage features and how can we recognise and provide for them?
- Infrastructure – what services will we need to provide for to help the city function well in the future?
- Urban ecology and energy efficiency – what provision can we make to help developments be more energy efficient and provide good ecological outcomes?
”This is the first time we’ve reviewed the plan’s provisions for the central area since 1995. We know that a lot has changed since then in terms of retailing, how people believe the central area should look, and its purpose,” Bronwyn says. “New transport links such as the Dowse-to-Petone interchange will affect how people move in, out and around the city, and growth needs to be encouraged within rules that are appropriate and clear for developers to follow.”
If you’d like to have your say, you can get a copy of the discussion document – Hutt City Central Area District Plan Review – and a feedback form:
- from the Council’s website at www.huttcity.govt.nz;
- from any Hutt City library or the council building at 30 Laings Road;
- or by calling council on 570-6666.
“We’ll have meetings over the next couple of months where people will be able to hear more about the key issues and the options and we’ll be setting up a central city display. The meetings will be advertised in the Hutt News and on our website at www.huttcity.govt.nz,” Bronwyn says.
Last day for feedback is March 6 2009.