Posts Tagged ‘Meadowbank’

What the heck is going on – further delays on GI to Tamaki Drive Shared Path

24 October 2019

Auckland Transport (AT) have released a media statement outlining the process for building Stage 2 (thorugh the Pourewa Valley) and Stage 4 (across Hobson Bay) of the shared path. Most disappointingly, timelines have slipped significantly further and reading the media release there are certainly a lot of “ifs” in the wording that raises a lot of questions – namely what the heck is going on here?!

Five years ago in November 2014 AT organised a public meeting in Meadowbank seeking feedback on the proposal and in October 2015 this was the projected timeline:

In March 2019 we were given the following timeline and we were extremely dismayed at the delays:

As of the latest media release, both section 2 and section 4 are “subject to funding approvals” and no timelines are currently available at all, other than a decision will be made by the end of the first quarter in 2020.

We have watched delayed weeks slip away and turn into delayed years… and more years… Our children are growing up without being able to cross the valley to school, people who were looking forward to cycling to work are retiring, and 3 years after the first section of the shared path opened, it still leads nowhere. How did it get to this? Surely the difficult terrain and design and construction challenges have been well and truly investigated before now?

We have asked everyone we could possibly contact about this but haven’t been able to get any answers on what is going on with the project. It has been especially difficult with the recent election and the Orakei Local Board (OLB) are yet to have their first meeting. We will keep asking questions and seeking answers.

First and foremost we want to see Stage 2 of this path (through the Pourewa Valley) completed and the local links that also provide cross valley access to be constructed. There are many places to go once you’ve reached Orakei Station, but there is no way to get up/down the Pourewa Valley, and no (safe) way to get across the valley. This is why Stage 2 of the path is so important and the reason why the council funding for the local links was successful in the first place – because it provides links to our communities and the shared path from both sides of the valley. Kids can walk and bike to school and college, and Meadowbank Station becomes just a few minutes from Kohimarama. There would be no problems with parking at the station either yay! And we need this path now, not in another five years time, or further way.

We wonder how does the OLB feel about funding the Tahapa Reserve upgrade including spending money on connecting paths that now don’t have anywhere to connect with? What does this mean for the OLB and council funding from the long term plan that was secured to build the local links to the path, providing a route across the valley from Gowing Dr to John Rymer Place? We rely on our elected representatives to advocate for the Orakei Ward and Orakei Local Board area. This shared path and its local links was chosen as their #1 project for funding because it commanded substantial community support and huge benefits. We are relying on them to see this project to completion.

We are looking forward to AT delivering the promised community consultation in October 2019… or if not October, then ASAP. Irrespective of whether the project gets delayed further (heck, we’re used to that by now), there’s no reason not to share the detailed design. The detailed design was sufficiently done in April 2019 to announce construction starting in October 2019, so we just don’t understand what the delay is in getting the information out to the public.

We just don’t think this situation is good enough for our community. Come along to our monthly meetings on Tuesday 12 November and Tuesday 10 December to find out the latest from our elected representatives. You can also email and tell them why the shared path is important to you and your community and ask for more information. Don’t let the construction of this fantastic asset for our community become further delayed or even worse, no secure the necessary funding.

Artists impression of the Glen Innes – Tamaki Drive Shared Path Stage 2, which passes through the Pourewa Valley to the north of Meadowbank

Petition Presented Calling for Gowing Drive Traffic Safety Improvements

28 June 2019

The Residents Association has worked with the Orakei Local Board to respond to an initial scheme plan from Auckland Transport (AT) to reduce traffic speed on Gowing Drive. While AT proposed a series of side islands and kerb build-outs to slow traffic at four points along Gowing Drive, we have recommended modifiying these to allow cyclists to ride to one side of the build-outs rather than over and in the way of vehicle traffic. Here’s an example from Auckland Council’s Design Manual . We have also recognised significant community demand for safe access across Gowing Drive, which pinch points such as kerb build-outs don’t provide. We have recommended a raised pedestrian crossing for the section of Gowing Drive between Rutherford Terrace and Archdall Street. This is designed to provide safe pedestrian access for our most vulnerable residents: children and their parents walking to and from local primary schools and family groups walking or using scooters to get to Rutherford Reserve on Archdall Street, as well as residents walking to and from the Dorcester Dairy and food outlets at the busy Dorcester St and St Johns Road intersection and commuters getting to and from bus stops on St Johns Road and Gowing Drive. It’s also the view of the Residents Association that a raised level crossing will play a major role in reducing traffic speed at the busiest end of Gowing Drive. The Residents Association also reviewed AT’s recommendations for on street carparking restrictions and sought to rationalise their plans where possible. These recommendations and others were provided to Auckland Transport by Orakei Local Board in June for their response.

You can read more about the problem pinch points that kerb build-outs can create for cyclists here and this picture sums it up quite well:

And here are some examples to make pinch points safer for cyclists. AT’s Code of Practice also notes the issues with pinch points for cyclists and recommends alternative measures be considered before recommending kerb build-outs.

Concerns with Effects of Golf Club Lights

5 March 2019

Photo taken from the public path inside Waiatarua Reserve showing visual effect of floodlight towers.

Some Meadowbank residents have expressed surprise and a strong dissatisfaction with the floodlights that were recently installed in the Remuera Golf Club at the eastern boundary with the Waiatarua Reserve. These lights are large, tall and (some might say ugly) industrial metal structures that intrude on both the day and night views of residents who live near the golf club and Waiatarua Reserve, as well as the many people who walk, jog and cycle in the reserve. There have been some comments that the lights are more suited to a stadium such as Eden Park rather than a suburban golf course adjacent to an ecological reserve.

The Waiatarua Reserve is an area of ecological standing in Auckland and is equivalent to a conservation area. It is one the few places where native bush has been planted for many years to create a small native forest habitat and food sources for our native wildlife, and is a much valued green space for city dwellers within the central city. These artificial floodlights disturb the habitat for birds and have adverse effects on the development of trees. The Unitary Plan requires under Section E24 Lighting, that lighting in a conservation zone should be Lighting Category 1 (intrinsically dark). An un-notified resource consent was granted for these lights in 2013 and we note that the consent acknowledges that the land at Waiatarua Reserve is in a Significant Ecological Area and a Flow 2 Volcanic View shaft and Height Sensitive Area. Troy Churton, the Planning and Consents Porfolio Lead for Orakei Local Board (OLB) over the last few terms, recalls commenting against the effects of light spill.

The lights are much taller than nearby trees and are not in keeping with the natural environment of the Waiatarua Reserve nor the golf course itself. Nearby residents (including the members of the nearby rest home in Gerard Way as we heard at our February monthly meeting) are disturbed by the lighting at night. There is light spill into the Reserve, so extensive that you can see the reflection of the lights in the open area of water near the Towle Place entrance and shadows are created within the reserve. According to the resource consent giving approval to install the lights in 2013:

the light spill will be less than minor;
light will only be spread towards the golf course driving range;
there will be no adverse effects on the streetscape;
the height and scale of the lighting poles will not be visually obtrusive;
there will be less than minor adverse effects in terms of outlook or visual amenity;
the floodlights will have less than minor effects on the reserve; and
within two months of commencing operation of the floodlights the Golf Club is obliged to undertake lighting measurements and provide a validation report to Auckland Council.

Thanks to Troy Churton from the OLB for providing the resource consent documents and background to the floodlight’s construction, as well as ensuring that Council has been alerted to the need to monitor the resource consent conditions. “I expect to have the results of monitoring of resource consent conditions in the next few days” says Troy, “and I will be vigilant in getting that information and scrutinising it with my fellow portfolio deputies Colin Davis and David Wong”.

Via Troy we have ascertained that:

The Golf Club acted to get the land owner approval just within the five year grant of consent, a necessary further step as the floodlights are on Council land.
Landowner approval was given for two years.
The OLB raised various concerns about light spill etc when landowner consent was sought but there was little that could be done to argue against granting land owner approval given the existence of the resource consent and advice received about broader compliance under the unitary plan.

Our questions are:

Are the lights that have been installed what was expected when the consent was granted? Is Council satisfied that these lights meet the resource consent criteria?
Given the significant impact of the light structures in the daytime and lighting at night, should this consent have been publicly notified?
Why are such tall intrusive lights required? Is this appropriate for a green space golf course? If so (and we strongly contest this) could the golf course not have installed lights closer to the ground that do not intrude of the views from the Reserve and other neighbours, and do not disturb the ecological habitat of the Reserve?

We also look forward to seeing the results of the lighting measurement report due by late March 2019. Troy has undertaken to share these with us as soon as he can. Have a look at the picture below taken in the reserve and you can clearly see the shadows cast by the flax and the dog on the ground from the golf club floodlights. In our opinion this is not good enough and we will be following this issue closely. If you think the effects of these floodlights are not OK please contact us with your thoughts and feel free to also email the Remuera Golf Club

These shadows do not show less than minor light spill

What sort of Waiatarua Reserve do you want?

17 September 2018

The Ōrākei Local Board is preparing an enhancement plan for Waiatarua Reserve. What do you like about Waiatarua Reserve and what would you like to see done differently in the reserve? Click here to fill out the questionnaire to share your feedback and ideas on what should be included in the plan. There is information on the questionnaire about how to return it. Make sure you’ve emailed it by Friday 28 September.

We believe that the reserve is big enough to be more than just an off-leash area for dogs, and that there is room for a mown grassed dog-free area for picnics, ball games, families to run around and so on and will be lobbying for this.

The primary purpose of Waiatarua Reserve is as a stormwater management wetland. The secondary purpose is to provide recreational opportunities. The floodplain covers most of the reserve and is an important limiting factor in how much the reserve can change. The aim of the Waiatarua Reserve Enhancement Plan is to guide the management and future work programmes of the wetland, which will ensure that the reserve is well-managed and sustainably developed now and into the future.

Early consultation started in September to gather feedback and ideas about what should be included in the plan. The plan will be prepared over the following months. A draft plan will be available for full public consultation in the early part of 2019.

Movies in Parks comes to Meadowbank Saturday 24 March

25 November 2017

We were very excited to find out that Meadowbank gets a Movies in Parks event at Rutherford Reserve on Saturday 24 March. Movie from 7:25pm with pre-movie entertainment from 5:30 including a giant bubble show, circus games and workshops, small face painting and a roving entertainer – and hopefully lots of Meadowbank and St Johns residents out enjoying the evening. The movie is Despicable Me 3 rated PG (violence). Pack a picnic and see you there.

Come watch Despicable Me 3 at Rutherford Reserve on Saturday 24 March