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Heritage rules
What is that whining sound in central Invercargill? Developers!
Developers thwarted by the ‘‘handbrake’’ of heritage building rules (April 12).
It must be so frustrating not to be able to take those big sandpit toys into town to flatten the CBD, lower Don St or the Dee St hospital complex.
But here’s the rub boys. If you buy heritage buildings, then expect to play by the heritage rules.
And if you think that heritage doesn’t matter to Southlanders then have a damn good look at the public outcry about the sudden closures of the Anderson Park Art Gallery and the Southland Museum.
Heritage and development can always compliment each other.
But if developers don’t want to play by the heritage building rules then they should take their toys elsewhere. Aaron Fox Invercargill
Dropping the ball
Based on the heading for the well- written editorial in The Southland Times (April 9) ‘‘Capital culture dropping the ball’’ my heading would be ‘‘Invercargill dropping the ball’’, to highlight what our mayor and city council are doing in the recently circulated consultation document for a 10-year plan.
It is a well-prepared document about our city’s future infrastructure needs and the required funding.
But it makes no effort to address the major problem our city has, highlighted in the document under the heading Rates Affordability.
It says: ‘‘By the end of this 10-year plan over 22 per cent of our population will be aged 65 years or older’’.
However it then makes no effort to find ways to address this problem.
Perhaps a younger mayor and younger councillors would have ensured that the plan include promoting Invercargill as a tourist hub for the attractions that the H W Richardson Group is developing in our city, our lively city and parks, Bluff and its associated hill walks etc, Stewart Island and all there is to do and see there, Gore and its many attractions, the Catlins (where tourism is already growing at a rapid pace), the coastal route through Riverton and Colac Bay and Tuatapere, to Te Anau, Southland’s farming enterprises, education through SIT.
H WRichardson Group Ltd is a very lively, progressive company with ideas; perhaps if some from there were on our council, things would happen.
The consultation document needs major input from people with vision but will this document help this happen?
Not likely, in my opinion, under our present mayor and council. Neil Wyeth Invercargill Invercargill City Council strategy and policy manager Melissa Short replied: I would like to thank Mr Wyeth for his interest in the Invercargill City Council’s Long-term Plan consultation document and encourage him to make a submission.
The consultation document highlights the key issues that are being considered over the next 10 years as well as making the choices and their implications clear to the community.
It cannot address all the areas that council manages and it is not a promotional document for the wider Southland region.
The four Southland councils are currently working together to establish a Southland Regional Development Agency that will, amongst other things, promote those things listed in Mr Wyeth’s letter.
The purpose of the consultation document is to start a discussion between the council and the community that identifies our priorities for the future.
By having your say and making a submission to the council you can ensure that your voice is heard.
Although the council highlights the key issues in our consultation document, I encourage everyone to submit on anything that is important to them about how council operates, including the future of the Southland Museum and Art Gallery.
Submissions close tomorrow.