Call for review criticised

A CALL from the Team Dunedin political ticket to review the George St revamp midproject has been condemned as rash and potentially wasteful.

Dunedin City Council candidate Richard Knights said it flew in the face of Team Dunedin’s policy of curbing wasteful spending.

‘‘No consideration has been given to the fact that such a review would ultimately be costly and impractical, as well as increasing the time taken to complete the works themselves, further inconveniencing the very retailers they’re proclaiming to support,’’ Mr Knights said.

He was among a series of candidates to offer sharp criticism of the political organisation’s stance, after ticket leader and mayoral candidate Jules Radich confirmed it wanted the project — budgeted at more than $28 million — reviewed and for any review to include consideration of retaining twoway traffic.

The council last year voted 95 to proceed with a oneway design and the project has been touted as being set to add vibrancy to the central city and improve the environment for pedestrians.

Much of the work on the first block, between Moray Pl and St Andrew St, has been completed.

Dunedin Mayor Aaron Hawkins was unimpressed about the call to change course.

‘‘At best this is irresponsible leadership, and certainly no way to run a city,’’ Mr Hawkins said.

‘‘At worst it’s shallow populism, knowing full well there’s no realistic scenario where this project starts again from scratch.

‘‘How many millions are they prepared to throw away, rebuilding the road and the intersections, because they were on the losing side of a vote?’’

A member of Team Dunedin, Lynnette Scott, has called for the project to be halted and for the alternative twoway design to be adopted.

Cr Radich has said he would not want to predetermine the outcome of any review, but confirmed he believed consideration of twoway traffic should be part of any review.

The idea has some backing from another mayoral candidate, Lee Vandervis.

‘‘I am looking forward to a return to twoway traffic and parking in George St, albeit with prettier paving,’’ Cr Vandervis said.

The Hawkinsled council had gone against the vast majority of submissions to it about George St, as well as a petition that attracted 6500 signatures, he said.

‘‘We need a council where some power is back with our people.’’

Fellow mayoral candidate Sophie Barker was firmly of the opposite view.

‘‘For a party which has ‘better budgets’ splashed all over their advertising as part of their manifesto, attempting to add huge extra costs to ratepayers is counterintuitive,’’ Cr Barker said.