The gloves come off over Johnsonville ghetto
On one side of the debate is Councillor Andy Foster. Cr Foster holds the Urban Development & Transport portfolio and is charged with accommodating population growth. The WCC?s District Plan Change 72 allows for ?residential intensification? through making central Johnsonville an ?Area of Change?. On the other side of the coin is the Johnsonville Residents Association. ?Andy [Foster] is trying to do the right thing, but he has got challenges ... this change is happening too soon, perhaps after roading and other services have improved ... the problem is Andy doesn?t believe in suburbs,? says Johnsonville Residents Association transport spokesperson Tony Randle. Mr Randle says becoming an ?Area of Change? will burden the community and destroy the areas suburban character. Creating a high density zone 10km from the city centre is an ?experiment? that has not proved to work elsewhere, he says. ?No provision has been made for increased numbers of children entering the area, when local schools are already at capacity. ?The council has yet to put a roading plan on the table ... there is no expansion planed for park and ride, it?s a set up for disaster,? he says. Cr Foster says rather than extending suburbia, growth should happen around transport hubs and service centres. 11 Wellington suburbs were originally nominated to become ?Areas of Change? but after public outcry only three, including Johnsonville, retain the distinction. ?There is no intention to extend the deadline, [the residents association] has misrepresented the facts by saying we rushed this process, we have been very happy to provide consultation,? says Cr Foster. He says work began in 2001 to address the ?growth spine? in North Wellington and continued through to 2008 when around 200 people attended a public meeting about ?Areas of Change?. The council also twice distributed 80,000 letters about the changes. ?This has not been hidden ... we will accept late submissions, we are not draconian about that.? After the November 27 deadline the council will summarise submissions and then consult the community again to find out if they agree with the proposed changes. ?I don?t know how many members the Johnsonville residents association has, but they are kicking up all this hoo-haa and sending out misleading information to people. ?It?s not surprising that people are thinking these things ... [Johnsonville] becoming a ghetto is absolute rubbish,? says Cr Foster. He says local politicians, including fellow councillor Helen Ritchie, have followed the ?band wagon? and given-in to local pressure groups. ?I have got to keep communicating that population growth [in Johnsonville] is one of the fastest in the region ? where will people live? ?Fuel prices will inevitably rise and the ghettos will be further away from transport because they cannot support the rising costs. ?We need [people living] near shops; the roads can?t cope if [people] are spread out,? says Cr Foster. The change will save on transport costs for the council, one of their highest energy demands. The changes allow for 10m structures to be built, which could effectively add another level onto existing buildings. Mr Randle says Johnsonville won?t cope with an influx of 3,000 people living in the suburban centre. ?Our intention is to get Johnsonville out of becoming an ?Area of Change?. ?Unless we show our frustration they won?t get the feedback that we don?t want this imposed upon us,? he says.
