All posts by 12wingate

Truby King Park – review of reserve management plan

Consultation

Wellington City is reviewing reserve management plans for several reserves around the city, including Truby King Park.   Prior to revising the management plan WCC has asked  our Association for feedback on four specific questions (by 12 July):

  1. What is it about Truby King Park that makes it important to the community now?
  2. What is working well and why?
  3. What would you like to see improved and why?
  4. And how would you prioritise these improvements and why?

A city park adjoining the Town Belt since the late 1980’s Truby King House and Gardens in Melrose are Newtown’s a quirky hilltop look-out. With great views over Newtown, Evans Bay Kilbirnie and Lyall Bay this enclave is well worth a visit from the connecting Town Belt, or up the driveway at 21 Manchester Terrace.

Truby King Arch

Originally home for Sir Truby and Lady Isabella King this heritage-listed estate was the heart of the Plunket Society they founded. Established in the 1920s the garden setting the King’s planted were a utopian vision for home, work and maternity care.

The public gardens meander past the historic ex-Karitane Baby Foods Factory (which has become apartments) to connect with the (now privately owned) former 1925 Karitane Maternity Hospital and its 1960’s nurses home just outside the park.

As well as their life’s work improving the welfare of mothers and babies the King’s, particularly Truby, had a mad passion for constructing zany landscape features and walkways. The “Thunderbirds are go” style Nurses home, Truby’s and Isabella’s mausoleum and the ex-hospital’s derelict cliff top tennis court vie for the title of weirdest structures in, or  nearby, the public reserve.

But don’t take our word for it, come explore the semi restored house and gardens, and sneak a peek at the accompanying privately owned remnants of the Plunket empire.

We are keen to your hear ideas  for how WCC might showcase and curate this picturesque, eccentric, rambling slice of nationally significant history.

Comments and suggestions  emailed  to newtownwellington@gmail.com (with TRUBY in the subject line) will be included in our Association’s Truby King Reserve DRAFT Submission

The John Street Protocols

News

The Association’s paper looking at the lessons to be learned from last year’s major works around the intersection of John and Riddiford Streets and, Adelaide Road has been further refined since the drafts we posted on our website.  Now entitled “The John Street Protocols” this was confirmed by resolution at our June meeting, and officially presented to the full City Council meeting on Thursday 27 June.

Communities accept that at times there will be a need for major infrastructure works in our neighbourhoods. Our policy paper The John St Protocols looks at performance measures for such works being expanded to include steps to understand any negative local impacts, and positive steps to mitigate those as much as possible.

A public works project that achieves its engineering and financial objectives but leaves behind it a frustrated and disillusioned community does damage to the council’s reputation, and should not be regarded as a successful project.

Priscilla Cresent Landslip

News

The Association extends its sympathy to our near neighbours affected by the Priscilla Crescent lanslip.  The slip, near the Berhampore golf course, happened, with what appears no warning, at about 4.30am on Saturday 1 June 2013. As a result the Council and emergency services evacuated a number of houses above the slip in Priscilla Crescent and Breton Close.
A phone call at 6am with a request to open Newtown Hall in Daniell St in Newtown marked the start of a further step in the response of the Wellington City Council to assist affected resident who were unable to return. Cups of tea and toast were provided in the reasonably warm shelter of the hall by volunteers and Wellington Region Emergency Management staff.  About a dozen people took advantage of the help provided at Newtown Hall.  These folk were allowed to return to their homes around 11am.
Initial reports were that around 90 people were evacuated before daybreak, including about 30 residents of the Kilmarnock Heights Rest Home which was near the foot of the slip. The residents were evacuated to Huntleigh Rest Home in Karori but were allowed to return to Kilmarnock in the late afternoon. Access to the premises is limited due to slip rubble across the road. Anyone visiting Kilmarnock is asked to take care.
However, about 30 residents were unable to return to their houses. Council welfare and housing staff have found accommodation for those residents who could not find their own temporary accommodation. Residents were allowed to quickly go into six of the houses to gather essential items. However two of the houses are deemed too unsafe to enter given the fact the slip has undermined parts of their foundations.
CityCare, Council staff and many other experts are are still investigating the cause which at the time of writing has not been finally determined.

Our Capital Spaces – Consultation

Consultation, News

Wellington City Council has recently consulted on “Our Capital Spaces”, which is the draft plan for managing the city’s open spaces over the next 10 years.   It covers parks, playgrounds, sportsfields tracks and other outdoor facilities.

It attempts to balance four stated goals.  These are:

  • Getting everyone active and healthy;
  • Protecting our birds, nature, streams and landscapes;
  • Contributing to Wellington’s outstanding quality of life; and
  • Doing it together.

You can download the plan and a shorter summary document from here

Read the NRA Submission on Our Capital Spaces June 2013

Local Alcohol Policy Submission

Consultation, News

Wellington City Council is developing an Alcohol Management Strategy for the city. Input has been sought through meetings with community groups, the hospitality industry and via a series of community workshops.

Members participated in the WCC community workshop at St Annes Hall in March. As an organisation we have discussed the issues widely at many of our monthly meetings, and we advocated strongly over many years for our streets and parks becoming a Liquor Free Zone.

Key aspects of the Association’s latest submission to WCC were agreed at the April meeting.

Thanks to Peter Cooke, Tom Law and Bernard O’Shaughnessy for all their work collating the submission. You can read it here: ALCOHOL PLANNING POLICY- Newtown Submission_April13

And you can read the Mount Cook Mobilised submission here:   MCM_Alcohol_submission_Apr2013_FINAL

Quick Headlines from April 2013 Newtown Residents Assn Meeting

Meetings

History Project – Jessie Annett-Wood explained the methods being used to recover the archival material and get it into editable form;

Local Alcohol Policy Submission – Key positions for the Assn’s submission to WCC were agreed (thanks to Peter Cooke, Tom Law and Bernard O’Shaughnessy);

Community Constable and Tagging– concerns were raised at the lack of visible presence in Newtown, and an outbreak of tagging (Paul Eagle, Peter Frater and Jeanie McCafferty to follow up);

Lessons from John St Draft Paper – the main points in the draft were endorsed.  Final to be signed off by the Executive

Local Elections Candidates’ Meeting – The Assn is organising a candidates meeting for 25 September.

Lessons from John St Works – draft paper for feedback

Consultation, News

By far the most important issue dealt with by the Association over the past year has been the impact of the major works around the John St / Riddiford St / Adelaide Road intersection on the Newtown business community, and in particular the retailers in the immediate area.

The Association’s draft paper draws some lessons from the John Street upgrade experience and makes recommendations to Wellington City Council that could help the council to more effectively manage the relationships with affected communities when undertaking similar large and ongoing public upgrade projects.

We accept the need for WCC to undertake such major works in the broader interest of the City.  However we believe that more attention could usefully be given to understanding, managing and mitigating the negative impacts that may arise for the neighbourhoods where these large scale works take place.

The main points in the paper were endorsed at the April members meeting.

A big thanks to the hard working volunteers who contributed to this, particularly Jeanie McCafferty.

Constructive and pro-actively attempting to make Wellington a better place: Newtown Works Draft Paper

Meeting 15 April 2013

Meetings

The April meeting will be on Monday 15 April at the Newtown Hall Daniell St (opposite the Mediteranean Food Warehouse) starting at 7:30pm.

Meetings are the third Monday of every month through until November.  Mark your calendar for: 20 May, 17 June, 15 July, 19 August, 16 September, 21 October, and 18 November.

Quick Headlines from the March NRA Meeting

News

Quick Headlines from the March NRA meeting last night.

Alcohol Policy – Do not miss your chance to hear what is going on and have your say.   Public meeting in St Annes Hall on Thursday 21 March starting 7:00pm

John Street Works – At last the work is complete.  The NRA has decided to put together a paper to WCC setting out what it sees as the “lessons to be learnt” from this.

Basin Options – WCC  vote on the Basin Flyover is to take place Thursday.  Do not be shy about contacting councillors and letting them know what you think about this.

Newtown Festival – the meeting passed a vote of thanks to the Festival Committee for what had been a great event.

Community Survey/Vision Exercise – a subgroup was set up to look at options for carrying out a community survey of visioning exercise.

Super City?  – WCC is about to open a round of consultations on options for changes to the structure of local government in the region.

Newtown Ave Liquor Licence Application – this application has been withdrawn.  The meeting passed a vote of thanks to Anna Costley of the NCCC for mobilising local public opinion on this and the earlier Riddiford St application.