Overnight, the chalk outlines of shadows cast by the plants and structures in Pirie Street have appeared on the footpaths, and have been softened and eroded by the day’s rain, courtesy of an anonymous artist.

With thanks to Joni Mitchell

Image credit: Horrgakx via Flickr, cc licensed

It may not seem like the most exciting subject, but every year the Wellington City Council creates a Draft Annual Plan to prioritise the areas of focus for the Council. And every year there are changes (some positive, some negative) that impact on our neighbourhood. For this reason, the Mt Victoria Residents Association has a long history of engaging with the Council throughout the Draft Annual Plan (DAP) process to ensure they are aware of our needs and concerns. And it’s that time again, so the Residents Association is seeking input from locals on what they think the Council should be doing in the coming year.

As MVRA President Jessica Closson says:

“This month your Residents Association Committee will start to think about and prepare our early communication with Council around next year’s Annual Plan.
The Annual Plan sets out the work programme/priorities of the Council for the year, and this is our opportunity to ask for things such as more rubbish bins on pedestrian routes through Mt Vic, track improvements in the Town Belt, footpath and road improvements etc.
Although the Annual Plan official submission phase will start next year, we feel it‘s a good idea to draft a letter to Council early so that they are thinking about our suburb’s issues as they are creating the first draft.
So, here’s where you can help! We try and catch as many things as we can, but we may have missed your street. Can you tell us where Council needs to improve any of the following:

• Footpaths
• Improved stormwater drainage
• Ideas for new pedestrian crossings
• Re-surfacing of roads
• Undergrounding of cables

  And on public (Council-owned) land:

  • Identifying heritage trees for inclusion in the District Plan
  • Places where new trees need to be planted (trees may have died, or been damaged and pulled out)

    Any other ideas/suggestions are welcome! Please email mvra@mtvictoria.org.nz with your ideas.

Last year’s DAP submission to the Wellington City Council from MVRA is attached below.

There’s been some coverage in the media recently about a new round of consultation on the proposal to turn Manners Mall into a bus-only thoroughfare, with the aim of speeding up public transport transit times through the CBD. As compensation, Lower Cuba Street will become a pedestrian-friendly shared zone. There’s been lots of debate on wellington.scoop and on The Eye of the Fish, including some pictures of what the proposed scheme will look like.

Effective today, the Council has opened the debate for public consultation. If you’d like to have your say, you can find information and submission forms on the Council’s website, and the consultation period runs until 30 October.

The Mt Victoria Residents Association will be holding its AGM on Tuesday 29 September at Crossways, starting at 7:30pm. It’s been a busy year for the Association, and this is a chance for local residents to quiz the committee, get involved for the coming year and discuss community matters with like-minded neighbours. All welcome!

Green MP Sue Kedgley is launching a petition to help save the Basin Reserve from the depredations of the NZ Transport Agency on Monday at the Basin Reserve. As noted in her flyer, “The New Zealand Transport Authority (NZTA) has recently (August 2009) released its National Land Transport Programme for 2009/12. The Wellington section of this document sets out plans that could see a flyover constructed at the Basin Reserve at a cost of $47 million – a considerable hike on the initial price tag of $33 million. What’s more, should the flyover be constructed, it will likely lead to duplication of the Mt Victoria Tunnel at a cost of more than $175 million.

“Funding to acquire the property to construct the flyover is expected to be secured in 2010 while money to design the flyover is expected from 2011/12. Construction would inevitably follow on after that.

“However, it is still only 2009 which means that we the people of Wellington still have the chance to prevent this ridiculous road from being built.

“So I strongly urge you to come join Sue Kedgley and the Green councillors at the Cambridge Tce entrance to the Basin Reserve next Monday (7th Sept) at 9.15am to launch the Green Party ‘no flyover’ petition.

Bring your banners, t-shirts and local community. We won’t let this unnecessary road building project go ahead!!!”

This is a public event, and all are welcome.

Sally Paterson (at left) with husband Ian and daughter Kate

Through the Mt Victoria newsletter we learned that long-time Mt Victoria resident and real estate doyen Sally Paterson had recently died, after a short illness. Sally was very well known to a large number of people in the neighbourhood as they – like us – bought their house through Just Paterson, the agency run by Sally, her husband Ian and daughter Kate. Sally was a charming and highly professional principal of Just Paterson, and had an encyclopedic knowledge of the homes and people of Mt Victoria. She will be sadly missed by many people in the neighbourhood and our condolences go to Ian, Kate and the rest of her family.