Wide ranging issues raised in LTCCP submissions

The Waitaki District Council has received a record number of submissions to its Draft Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP). A total of 410 written submissions were lodged for the draft 2009-19 plan compared with 219 received in 2006.

WDC Senior Policy Advisor Ben Hopkins said a large number of issues have been raised.

“There’s a real diversity of opinion out there. Some rate payers have strong feelings about what Oamaru and the Waitaki District should look like in the future. There is no complete consensus on any issue,” he said. “That’s what this process is about – working through these issues.”

A random sampling of submissions showed that Waitaki citizens had very different positions on the same topics.

Some people were not convinced that Waitaki District needed to upgrade its water quality as required under the Health (Drinking Water) Amendment Act 2007. One submitter proposed that “We consider our water supply adequate and should put resources into lobbying government to not force rate payers to upgrade.” Another submitter took the opposite position: “Water is poor quality – YES to compulsory upgrade.”

The Council’s proposal to extend the business rating area in Oamaru to include the ‘corridors’ at the North End and South Hill drew very mixed responses. One group of submitters called the rate increases “horrendous and ludicrous in these tough economic times”. Another submitter had the opposite point of view and wrote that “all commercial / industrial / retail businesses should pay a business rate regardless of where they are sited”. Yet another submitter took the middle road by suggesting that the rezoning should be phased in over at least three years and that there should be no difference between ‘Main Street’ and other businesses.

Mr Hopkins said the oral submissions will be heard on May 12-13. The public are welcome to attend.

The Council will meet on Tuesday, 26 May to consider it final version of the ten year Community Plan in light of the written and verbal submissions made by the public.