18 May 2020
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Deferral of Westbrook Precinct concept
Enquiry
This is for a story I am filing today on the announcement to defer the Westbrook sports and rec precinct proposal to the 2024 LTP.
I have some comments from people I would like to invite the council to respond to if desired.
I would also appreciate a general attributable comment from the council about the reasoning behind delaying the project (if this is not covered off in right of reply anyway).
Evolve spokesman Ben Sandford said his group was disappointed [in the delay] because there were some good ideas in the project.
Sandford said Rotorua would benefit from an indoor sports and training facility, as well as a rubber athletics track.
There is no reason why we can't have fantastic facilities here, but we need to plan for that and build them.
If we want a comprehensive plan on how to deal with the issues that we do have and build fantastic facilities that ignite community involvement, then we should start now because getting it right could take time.
He said it was the perfect time to move the project ahead.
Delaying the project won't solve the underlying issues that we have of aging or inappropriate sports grounds, this isn't going to attract people to sport and it will only mean that the costs of maintaining these facilities continues to increase.
Sandford said some criticism of the proposed precinct had been valid and it highlighted that sports facilities needed to be addressed as a whole.
That would then include where and why each sport is going to be in that particular location. This means that no group gets left out and that we have a comprehensive plan.
Springfield Golf Club president Paul Fox said the decision still left the future of the golf course up in the air.
It's just delaying it for another four years. It still leaves us as a golf club in limbo.
I'd like to see the council renew our lease ... and if they want to go ahead with some sporting-type precinct, find somewhere else to do it.
Fox said the golf course was a draw card for domestic tourists which could be valuable in the post-Covid-19 economy recovery.
Lake City Athletic Club president Rob Colledge said he had been advised by a council employee [NB: Steve Watene] that the delay gave the council a chance to see how it could be done better and how athletics facilities could be included in the precinct.
A rubber track - something not currently available in Rotorua - could also be a draw card for Kiwi and Australian sports tourists, he said.
I don't know if there's much hope for that but it certainly would draw people to it.
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Media: NZME (Rotorua Daily Post and BOP Times):
Topic: Rotorua CBD
Enquiry
I am working on a commercial real estate story today as that sector is struggling due to Covid-19 and there are still empty shops in the CBD.
I was hoping for some comment from the mayor as I know the council has CBD initiatives.
What is the vision the council has for the CBD and who is involved with that?
Will Covid-19 make any difference to this project or will it accelerate this and why?
To date what has the council been proud of - in terms of the CBD - and how could the CBD change in the future?
Fyi I have just spoken to Bryce and he said there is now no better time to rebuild the CBD with a focus on Maori architecture which he says has been talked about for the last 18 months and the CBD streets have already been designed along the lines of Maori wakas.
Response
From Mayor Steve Chadwick:
We want a vibrant city heart that people enjoy visiting, that provides a supportive environment for businesses and encourages inner city living.
A lot has been done to improve the inner city environment during recent years but as with everything, we need to keep reviewing and re-assessing to ensure we're able to achieve the outcomes we want.
During recent years we've undertaken safety improvements, beautification, improvements to intersections and gathering spaces (Te Manawa and Jean Batten Park at the library), created Eat Streat and established weekly Thursday night and Sunday morning markets, along with other activation events and activities to bring people in to the CBD.
I expect there will be ideas to come from the inner city sector group which is one of several business sector groups established as part of Rotorua's recovery plan to develop recovery strategies, and an assessment of inner city functionality that looks at how traffic and people move through the CBD will provide guidance for further improvements.
That assessment work will be coming to Council for its consideration soon and there will be public consultation.
We've also been saying for some years now that we'd like to see more inner city living and there are opportunities for property owners to consider that.
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Media: The Mud
Topic: Numbers employed on lakefront redevelopment
Enquiry
How many people are currently employed on the Lakefront and Forest projects?
Response
The following information was provided:
The number of people required to work on these two sites varies depending on what work is being carried out at any given time but has to date been up to about 30 FTEs at any given time on each site.
That does not include any sub-contractors that RLC contractors bring in to undertake pieces of work as required.
