This summary of the agenda for the Ma7 7th Raglan Community Board agenda prepared by John Lawson, Secretary of Whāingaroa Environmental Defence Inc., 51 Cliff St, Raglan 07 825 7866 email johnragla@gmail.com
The next Raglan Community Board meeting is Wed 7 May at 1.30pm in the Raglan Town Hall Supper Room. The public forum will be near the start of the formal meeting, giving an opportunity to discuss issues. You might prefer to email/phone the Board.
John has summarised the agenda:
Wednesday’s agenda has no detailed reports and omits some information, but includes –
- Spatial Planning “The Principal Spatial Planner . . . Spatial Planning Team to come back to the May board meeting to discuss of commercial and industrial land . . . Verbal update on the review of Waikato 2070.” [LTP says “It is a requirement of national legislation, and full compliance will indicate that our spatial and strategic planning has zoned adequate land (right type in right location)”]
- Wainui Reserve 30 year plan “what Wainui Reserve looks like when used to its maximum capacity and how to achieve this through a staged approach. A Wainui 30 Year Development working group has been established and the group is currently undertaking a desktop review to identify the existing status of activities on the reserve and known limitations to inform future development. Following this, the group will seek to identify areas where further understanding is required (i.e. technical reports).”
- Stormwater “Te Aroaro Request for staff to meet with Tony Oosten on site before July” and verbal update.
- Water “Kingfisher SCADA upgrade works are now complete, all sites now have hardware installed and are going through the final commissioning process.”
- Wi Neera South End walkway “expected to be complete by June”.
- Sewage further soil sampling being done on Wainui Reserve – see last video meeting.
- Civil Defence “Cr Thomson to coordinate a meeting date.”
- Soundsplash “A verbal report will be provided”.
- CCTV “tender process in May”.
- Greenslade Rd Reserve playground “To prevent bark washout and ensure the boardwalk remains usable after wet weather, the design has been adjusted. This work will be completed within the next three weeks.”.
- Camp ground – stormwater “complete. Some minor additional work is expected be completed during the defects period.”.
- Discretionary fund has $4,906.04.
These items are not on RCB’s agenda –
traffic light trial on Wainui Bridge in Raglan at a cost of $200,000 – removed as part of the Enhanced Annual Plan, with a note to reconsider this as part of the 2025-2034 LTP
A meeting was held with stakeholders of the Raglan Aerodrome and staff are now preparing a plan outlining the next steps which will be reported to Council.
LTP approval 10/4 1,128 pages
we currently maintain a herd of 178 cattle on Wainui Reserve farm. We are actively engaged in discussions to curtail the cattle population and explore the possibility of afforesting the grazing land . . . There is concern that we run the risk of being accused of greenwashing if we only remove stock from Wainui but continue to allow or promote grazing (with or without a lease) on other Council land. . . In principle there is support for the removal of stock from council administered land. This will make a more meaningful impact on methane emissions reduction, and it must be done and staged carefully on all council land, not just Wainui reserve.
Other issues missing from the RCB agenda – Recreation Study, speed limits, alcohol ban, Wainui parking, Manu Bay boat ramp, Bushpark cycle access, WRC LTP, Papahua erosion, bus publicity, Cliff St pohutukawas, development next to 4 Square, freedom camping, footpath obstruction by cafes, old Harbour Care site, Manu Bay planting, Raglan Naturally, overflow car parking, fluoride, Community Energy Whāingaroa, roading, Blueprints, organic waste, rubbish on SH23, Area School road safety, 3 Bow St, Greenslade Rd SH23 junction, Connectivity Strategy, Surf2surf walkway, speeding on Main Rd, Harbour Strategy, Animal Control late responses, cycle counts, Bayview Rd safety, Canada geese, Cliff St, Park Dr/Long St crossing, town square, Town Hall Committee, WRAP, Calvert Rd parking, volunteer worker safety, Puriri Park.
Should WED be taking up these or other issues?
The agenda has very little of substance, except it appears that the concept of a Raglan Structure Plan has been replaced by Spatial Planning, which is the minimum required by legislation to keep the District Plan up to date by adding areas for development. Structure Plans for other parts of the District provide the justification for many of the projects in the Long Term Plan.
The LTP is open for consultation until 11 May. It has no mention of a Raglan Structure Plan. Also, this afternoon I got the reply below from WDC. It doesn’t answer my questions in any detail, but does confirm we can make submissions on the issues. In the next 3 years they plan to spend $1.2m on these transport related items –
- New Bridge Investigation $300,000
- Raglan Walking and Cycling $100,000
- Signage wayfinding review $200,000
- Te Hutewai Road Roundabout $500,000
- Traffic calming Raglan $100,000
The Community Board put a lot of effort into trying to get a local bus. It was rejected as it cost too much (estimated at $100k a year). That amount is small compared with these plans, which do nothing to address parking in a town set to triple in population.
As part of the LTP consultation, the Draft Waste Minimisation and Management Plan 2025 – 2031 is out for community consultation at the same time. It includes a proposal to start a monthly recycling collection at Te Akau. The rural waste services at Te Mata and Te Uku will continue for another year.
Do you have any views about what WED should be saying about these plans?
Ngā mihi
John (he/him).