Central Otago District Council’s boards have now met to consider record community feedback and have made recommendations for Council to consider at its hearings and as part of its deliberations next month.

Between 18-20 May Council’s four community boards met to consider submissions on matters relating to their respective wards to the 2021-31 Long-term Plan Consultation Document ‘Ka Aka Whakamua – Framing our Future’.

The Cromwell Community Board had a full day listening to more than 60 submitters who wished to speak in support of their submissions on Tuesday 18 May, and then reconvened their meeting the following evening to deliberate.

Following robust discussion the Board’s recommendation relating to the Cromwell Masterplan Arts, Culture and Heritage Precinct projects was to proceed with its preferred option for the hall/events centre and museum as set out in the consultation document.  

The Board noted that the size of the hall/event centre could change as necessary once further planning and detailed design work has been undertaken to understand the needs, growth and future opportunities for Cromwell and district. 

This work will also explore options for construction, operation and ownership of the facility. 

The Board also recommended to the Council that funding for the town centre projects progress, but in response to community feedback has recommended that the library and service centre building should not be demolished, and that further urban design work be undertaken. 

It confirmed its preferred timing option as being the ‘hybrid option’. 

“We have listened to submissions, and the community has very clearly said we want a hall and we want you to make the facility future-proof for both future growth and future opportunities for Cromwell and surrounds,” Cromwell Community Board Chair Anna Harrison says. 

“We heard the feedback that said ‘We want you to get on with building the hall but we want you to spend a bit more time on designing the town centre’, but the Board felt we didn’t want to halt the town centre project completely. 

“The reality of the hybrid model is that action will be seen on the arts, culture and heritage precinct first.” 

Other resolutions made by the Cromwell Community Board that will go through to the Council include a recommendation relating to an increase in Cromwell Museum funding and a recommendation to investigate the future installation of a toilet at the Cromwell Bike Park. 

The Vincent Community Board met on Wednesday 19 May to consider the two consultation document items that related to its ward. 

It resolved to recommend its preferred option for both, namely to support the Alexandra Riverside Park Development with a $650,000 fully loan funded investment between Years 1-3 of the Long-term Plan, and a $1 million loan/reserve fund/general reserve contribution to the Omakau Community Hub. 

Other recommendations from the Vincent Community Board to the Council include investigation into future extension of the junior playground at Pioneer Park and coordinating discussion with relevant parties on a way forward on the proposed multi-use turf and facilities at Molyneux Park. 

Both Cromwell Community Board and Vincent Community Board agreed on a recommendation to Council to amend the fees and charges schedule so that the fees charged at the pools in both towns be $30 per hour for lane hire for private swim schools as well as a concession card charging $1 for pool entry for all swim school students. 

The Maniototo and Teviot Valley community boards both met on Thursday 20 May. 

The Teviot Valley Community Board has recommended to Council to proceed with the preferred option in the consultation document for the Roxburgh Community Pool – to make a one-off financial contribution of up to $500,000 towards construction, by way of a 50/50 rate-funded loan and use of reserves. 

The Maniototo Community Board recommended that Council consider the importance of the bridge strategy and to engage with the community prior to any action being undertaken. 

Council will meet on Tuesday 1 June and Wednesday 2 June to hear further submitters wishing to present to the full Council, consider the recommendations of the community boards and all of 852 written submissions to the plan before they give sign off to the projects that will go into the final Long-term Plan (LTP). 

Following a final audit process the LTP is set to be adopted on 30 June 2021. 

“It has been great to see such a huge number of submissions come in to this LTP, giving us one of the most, if not the most engaged community in the country,” Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan says.