August WMRA meeting recap
With a myriad of absences tonight, there was still enough in attendance for a quorum so we boxed on with the agenda.
Corridor Management Plan
Discussed at length tonight, this work is still proceeding behind closed doors, without the involvement of the community. A plan for public consultation should be available soon. Local Council representatives were only able to speak in broad terms about progress to date. WMRA will write to the council to establish dialogue with members of the roading group.
In the meantime, WMRA will seek out public opinion on local roading and pedestrian issues. The short-list of issues raised tonight included;
- Pedestrian access across SH73
- Speed limit on West Melton Road in the vicinity of the Reserve
- Increased West Coast traffic turning onto and using Weedons Ross Rd once connected to new Southern Motorway
- West Melton School children crossing Weedons Ross Road into Gainsborough and the West Melton Early Learning Centre
- West Melton School children crossing Westview Crescent onroute from Preston Downs
Cr Sarah Walters discussed “Kea Crossings” with the committee, highlighting the roles of Council, Police and School Board of Trustees. The online questionnaire for road and pedestrian safety can be found here.
Selwyn Central Community Board
Sarah discussed the processes which lead to the Council’s recommendation that this community board be disbanded. This decision will go out to public consultation very soon. The eventual, formal decision will come from local government.
Discretionary funds
Our discretionary fund for the next year has grown, due to population growth. Normally, these funds would be used entirely for new flags on SH73, yet this year we already have a spare set of flags in reserve due to last year’s 150th celebrations. Bruce encouraged the group to get creative about ways and projects to benefit the community with the $6,000 of funds the community has been allocated.
Other developments
Changes to the commercial development on Weedons Ross Road were discussed at length, regarding the change in project ownership and adjusted plans which do not include a supermarket nor offices. The possibility of a supermarket being constructed on SH73, across from the community centre was discussed. The manner in which Transit have recently granted direct vehicle access to these land parcels from SH73 is major step forward towards a lower speed, commercial centre on this main road.
Other developments included the council’s recent purchase of land behind the community centre to extend the domain. Wayne also reported on options for the Fire Brigade with their need to house all their fire appliances. Options included rebuilding or expanding the facilities on site or moving to another site on the south side of SH73.
The next meeting will be Wednesday October 14 at 7:30.