Housing minister Chris Bishop has announced his decision on the Wellington District Plan, approving a series of amendments to radically upzone most of Wellington, allowing tens of thousands of new townhouses and apartments that were previously illegal to build....
Overall seems like a pretty good result. Disappointing that the heritage buildings will still be protected, but sounds like that was rejected on technicalities rather than due to any desire to retain those buildings.
Wellingtonians are encouraged to plan ahead if they are travelling on Monday between 9.30am and 3pm, when bus and rail staff will be attending their respective union meetings....
I know, been kinda conditioned to expect the worst but yeah this seems like great progress. Still has to go through Chris Bishop but from what I understand he’s not likely to oppose this stuff.
There’s been a few notable gas leaks recently - the other day a street in Petone was closed, and I seem to recall there was an evacuation of some sort somewhere a day or so prior to that.
Wellington City Councillors will next week agree the draft 2024-34 Long-term Plan Consultation Document for auditing prior to community consultation in April. This includes a proposed rates increase for the 2024/2025 year of 16.4% (after growth in the ratepayer base). This excludes the levy for the Moa Point Sludge Minimisation...
Yeah I’m not quite sure why it’s being done this way - which makes me suspicious. On the surface it seems to me like this is in effect an interest-free loan of $32M with the condition that Reading fix up the site and make it into something viable once more.
I guess the gotcha is that it would be an upfront cost for the WCC which is already having to make big cuts. You could also argue about the optics of having to pay Reading to actually do something with the site, and not just leave it derelict as they have done for the last several years.
But if this pans out, and helps reverse the decline of Courtney Place, then sounds like an okay plan.
Consultation on the 2024-34 Long-term Plan opens on 12 April and closes on 12 May. It is a key opportunity for Wellingtonians to have their say on the city’s 10-year plan and budget....
I could be wrong but my understanding is that a ground lease is a situation where you own some land and rent it out to someone else to develop, typically for a long-term duration (like decades). In this case it could be that the council is currently leasing land that it owns, but will be looking to instead sell that land permanently
I couldn’t find a list of what ground leases the council currently has, but it looks like they typically are things like sports clubrooms, community halls, hobby groups etc:
These are all leased extremely cheaply ($1 per year for 100m² for the Beekeepers club as an example) presumably because they are community focused and non-commercial.
I’d be worried that this option would amount to selling off community spaces to commercial developers (though it could be that the council has other leases that are already commercially developed that it’s simply seeking to sell off to the existing tenants)
The Entomological Society of New Zealand is proud to launch the second ever Bug of the Year 2024 competition with 20 incredible nominees vying for the top spot. Learn more about the nominees before you vote!...
My understanding is that this report will be used to set the rules / limits on housing density in Wellington going forward. There was a “Spatial Plan” produced by the council a year or so back which kinda set the goals, but this new District Plan would be the official, and seemingly very watered down, document that dictates that can be built where. This previous article form the Spinoff describes it better: A simple guide to Wellington’s District Plan and why you should care about it.
But yeah it seems really weird and even inappropriate that this group is making decisions about the need for housing, what is / isn’t mass transit, etc.
Minister approves sweeping upzoning, rejects heritage changes (thespinoff.co.nz)
Housing minister Chris Bishop has announced his decision on the Wellington District Plan, approving a series of amendments to radically upzone most of Wellington, allowing tens of thousands of new townhouses and apartments that were previously illegal to build....
[Have you say Pōneke] The key proposals of the Long-term Plan (wellington.govt.nz)
It’s time to have your say on Wellington’s 10-year plan and budget....
Council announcement on Reading Cinema proposal (wellington.govt.nz)
Wellington City Council has ended negotiations with Reading Cinemas on a proposed deal aimed at reopening the cinema complex on Courtenay Place....
Wellingtonians warned of bus, train disruptions on Monday (www.rnz.co.nz)
Wellingtonians are encouraged to plan ahead if they are travelling on Monday between 9.30am and 3pm, when bus and rail staff will be attending their respective union meetings....
‘Sad and bizarre’: K Rd rainbow crossing painted over (www.nzherald.co.nz)
Vandalised would be a more accurate description....
2024 Wellington Architecture Awards shortlist (www.nzia.co.nz)
Images are at the bottom of the article - direct link
WCC reduces character areas, increases walking catchments for more houses (wellington.scoop.co.nz)
Examples of decisions today by for Minister Bishop’s consideration include:...
Injuries after apartment explosion in central Wellington
Two people are in hospital following an explosion in a central Wellington apartment building on Friday afternoon....
Rates increase of 16.4% for 2024/25 proposed for community consultation (wellington.govt.nz)
Wellington City Councillors will next week agree the draft 2024-34 Long-term Plan Consultation Document for auditing prior to community consultation in April. This includes a proposed rates increase for the 2024/2025 year of 16.4% (after growth in the ratepayer base). This excludes the levy for the Moa Point Sludge Minimisation...
Key details of plan to rejuvenate the Reading Courtenay complex made public (wellington.govt.nz)
The key features of the deal are:...
Playgrounds reopening at Frank Kitts Park and Botanical Garden (wellington.scoop.co.nz)
two upgraded play areas open next week – the exciting new playspace at Frank Kitts Park, and the refreshed site at Botanic Garden ki Paekākā....
Council confirms Long-term Plan options for community feedback (wellington.govt.nz)
Consultation on the 2024-34 Long-term Plan opens on 12 April and closes on 12 May. It is a key opportunity for Wellingtonians to have their say on the city’s 10-year plan and budget....
Aotearoa Daily Kōrero 13/2/2024
Welcome to today’s daily kōrero!...
NZ Bug of the Year 2024 Nominees (bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz)
The Entomological Society of New Zealand is proud to launch the second ever Bug of the Year 2024 competition with 20 incredible nominees vying for the top spot. Learn more about the nominees before you vote!...
The first recommendations for the future of Wellington’s housing are in, and they’re shit (thespinoff.co.nz)
Other media:...