LTCCP draws record submissions

A RECORD 364 submissions were received by the Manawatu District Council for its Draft Long Term Council Community Plan 2009-19, with the large public response connected to the community’s involvement in priority listing six “Nice to Have” projects.

Guesstimates early last week of a final figure around 150 were well astray after 105 submissions arrived on Wednesday from pupils at the Oroua Downs School and Himatangi Beach residents on a skateboard park for the township and a further 120 submissions came in on the final day.

A total of 97 submissions were received in 2006 when the LTCCP last went out to public consultation.

Community and Strategic Development Officer, Tracey Hunt, was delighted with the response and said it was a “good thing” that people had had their say.

“We tried to make it easier for people with the formatting of the draft summary so it was easier to read, and we changed our style in communicating with the community,” she said. “And by individually packaging up the ‘Nice to Have’ projects with their benefits, disadvantages and costs gave people a better idea of the impacts of them going ahead or not.”

Ms Hunt was also pleased to see many new names among the submitters.

Strategic Planner, Phil Bronn, said the “Nice to Have” projects had been a contributing factor to the response and involved 166 of the submissions as residents rated each project’s priority with “high”, “medium”, “low” or “not at all” options.

He said broadband had recorded the highest number of “highs” (60), compared to the Feilding CBD redevelopment (55), which benefited from a late surge of support, pathway development (33), Leisureville-MAC (31), Leisureville-Makino Park (22) and Kowhai Park Aviary (18).

The Oroua Downs/Himatangi Beach submissions were collected by school librarian, Kara Lummis, and personally handed to Manawatu District Mayor, Ian McKelvie, by a delegation comprising Phil and Rachel Jurgens and their sons Justin (8) and Brad (6).

Mr Jurgens said the community fully supported the establishment of a skateboard park to keep the children in the area safe, enthused and off the road.

“There are a lot of young families living at the beach and the population triples in the summer because of the visitors, so we need something for the children to do,” he said.

Mr McKelvie said there were plans for a skateboard park and the submissions would ensure that council took a bit more interest in the project.

A record 61 people will speak to their submissions when the public hearings are held at the Manfeild Park stadium suites next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.