mt victoria, wellington

The judicial review of the Wellington City Council's decision to grant a resource consent to the brothel at 103 Pirie Street is being heard in the High Court today.

President of the Mt Victoria Residents Association, Jessica Closson (above), said she was quietly confident of the outcome before the hearing this morning, and that she was looking forward to hearing what the court had to say on the matter. She noted that the hearing was set down for a day and a half, although she was unable to say how soon it would be before a decision would be available from the Judge hearing the matter.

UPDATE: Jessica has just sent the following e-mail:

"Today's High Court proceedings were encouraging, at times entertaining, and the judge was fair and not distracted by arguments of questionable relevance attempted by counsel for the brothel. The hearing concluded by 12.45pm. Our counsel Tom Bennion covered all our points, and had the right case law to support our arguments.

"Neither Lovely Lily nor her partner Jason (the brothel owners) were in court. The residents, however, filled the courtroom's gallery. It was a good day for us.

"The judge has reserved his decision, and I will hear from Tom Bennion as soon as a decision is made public."

Image credit: Joe Gratz, via Flickr

As residents may know, the Mt Victoria Residents Association is taking legal action in the High Court against the Wellington City Council, seeking a review of the resource consent granted to the brothel at 103 Pirie Street. This action is due to be heard by the Court on Monday 2nd March.

Image credit: vern, via Flickr

We need a few people to help with the smooth running of the Mt Victoria Inner City Festival on Saturday 28 February. There are some simple, straightforward tasks that we need a hand with, such as ...

The Police have issued a statement about the vehicle involved in the hit and run incident in the Pirie Street bus tunnel last week:

ESR forensic analysis of clothing worn by the victim of a hit and run in a Wellington bus tunnel nearly two weeks ago has revealed that a blue coloured vehicle was involved.

Detective Senior Sergeant Dave Thornton, Wellington CIB, said finding the vehicle with this coloured paint is crucial in helping to find the driver who was responsible for the hit and run.

There's been extensive media coverage over the last few days about the hit-and-run in the Pirie Street bus tunnel, much of which has highlighted the dangers for pedestrians.

And gratifyingly, the speed bumps at each end of the tunnel have now been reinstated by the contractor who failed to complete the resurfacing work correctly a few weeks ago.

But the Council seems quite reluctant to take the next step and install barrier arms to prevent cars illegally using the tunnel once the buses have stopped for the night. In this morning's Dominion Post, Council spokesperson Richard MacLean says:

"There have been discussions about gates, but we are taking a look at the whole issue, and we'll see if the problem continues."

That's not good enough.

Mark your calendars - Saturday 28 February is the day for the inaugural Mt Victoria festival in Roxburgh Street. From what we hear, the entertainment is nearly finalised, the stall holders are all confirmed, and it's shaping up to be a truly great event. Tell your friends and neighbours!

The Dominion Post has run a story about the proliferation of "tunnel runners" using the bus-only tunnel at the top of Pirie Street, including publishing photos of offenders taken by local residents.

We're gratified to see Wellington's paper of record taking an interest in these local issues, and hopefully the publicity will help reduce this dangerous driving behaviour.

The Wellington City Council is urging motorists to think twice about parking on the footpath – a common habit around the city that creates hazards for pedestrians and can cause accidents. The Council is launching a campaign to change drivers' attitudes to footpath parking today with a series of radio adverts and flyers.