Minutes of a meeting of the Nelson City Council
Held in the Council Chamber, Civic House, 110 Trafalgar Street, Nelson
On Tuesday 6 August 2019, commencing at 10.07a.m.- to hear submissions to Declaration of a Pedestrian Mall - Upper Trafalgar Street
Present: Her Worship the Mayor R Reese (Chairperson), Councillors L Acland, I Barker, M Courtney, B Dahlberg, K Fulton, M Lawrey, P Matheson, B McGurk, G Noonan, M Rutledge, T Skinner and S Walker
In Attendance: Group Manager Infrastructure (A Louverdis), Manager Governance and Support (M Birch) and Governance Adviser (J Brandt)
Apology: Deputy Mayor P Matheson
Opening Prayer
Her Worship the Mayor R Reese gave the opening prayer.
1. Apologies
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1. Receives and accepts an apology from Deputy Mayor P Matheson. |
2. Confirmation of Order of Business
Her Worship the Mayor advised of three late submissions received for the public part of the meeting, and that the following resolution needed to be passed for the submissions to be considered:
3 Late Submissions - Declarations of a Pedestrian Mall - Upper Trafalgar Street
There were no updates to the Interests Register, and no interests with items on the agenda were declared.
There was no public forum.
There was no Mayor’s report.
7. Hearing of Submissions to the Statement of Proposal - Pedestrian Mall Declaration - Trafalgar Street - Nelson City
Document number R10402, agenda pages 4 - 273 refer.
7.1 John Fitchett (20351, page 35 refers)
Mr Fitchett did not attend the hearing.
7.2 Charlie Unwin – Nelson Arts Festival (20359, page 43 refers)
Mr Unwin spoke in favour of a dedicated performance space on Upper Trafalgar Street throughout the year. Mr Unwin answered questions about the preferred location for the performance space, noting the Hardy Street end, and other uses such as soap box speakers and bands at the cathedral end. Asked about the 1903 square, Mr Unwin noted that the square would be a useful overflow space if there was activity happening in Upper Trafalgar. By itself, 1903 was hidden and the stage difficult to use.
7.3 Monica Nelson (20483, page 152 refers)
Ms Nelson did not attend the hearing.
7.4 Dai Mitchell (20430, page 111 refers)
Mr Mitchell spoke against the road closure at the proposed location. He noted he was in favour of a pedestrian mall but wished for the location to be reconsidered, e.g. Church Street. Issues noted with Upper Trafalgar Street were health and safety risks and access issues. Mr Mitchell answered questions about his concerns regarding alcohol and noted that making the area an alcohol-free zone would make it more family friendly.
Attendance: Councillor Skinner left the meeting from 10.20a.m. to 10.24a.m.
7.5 Giles Burton – Nelson Buskers Festival/ Three Bridges Productions (20494 page 160)
Mr Burton spoke in favour of the closure, noting a better balance between businesses, the community and events in Upper Trafalgar Street was needed. Mr Burton noted that reserving a number of days for events with increased public access space which during the trials had been used mostly by the local businesses for outdoor furniture.
Mr Burton answered questions regarding access, noting a preference for pedestrian only versus a shared zone. He further noted that a central more communal area was the standard for pedestrian malls, and that moveable planter boxes could be part of the solution. He noted that the area by the museum was unsuitable for buskers due to the trees. Asked about the location of a pedestrian mall in Nelson, Mr Burton noted that it was crucial to choose a central location, and that the church steps/ Selwyn Place were ideal.
Attendance: Dahlberg returned to the meeting from 10.40a.m. to 10.43a.m.
7.6 Peter Bramley – Nelson Marlborough Health (20568, page 234)
Jane Murray and Anne Price attended on behalf of Peter Bramley.
Ms Murray spoke in favour of the pedestrian mall as a public space that would lend itself to counteract social isolation and improve mental health.
Ms Price noted alcohol related issues and called for a clear delineation between public space and licenced outdoor dining. She noted that planter boxes similar to those used in Richmond could help to protect children and youth by providing a visual barrier.
Ms Murray noted that Nelson Marlborough Health would be in favour of events being made smoke free and that they would continue working with officers to support appropriate policy options.
Ms Murray answered questions about use of the space by all age groups, noting that sculptures or water features could provide opportunities both for young and old to play, watch and interact.
7.7 Geoff Small (20571, page 242)
Mr Small presented his submission in favour of the closure subject to a number of conditions, noting that maintaining the whole width of the road for everyone was important, for mobility issues but also to walk freely between premises, in a food court type setting.
Mr Small noted reservations regarding the employment of an urban designer due to costs for the rate payer. He further noted that additional public spaces would add further towards existing city maintenance issues.
7.8 Barry Thompson – Thompson Daly & Co (20587, page 249)
Mr Thompson presented his submission opposing the closure, noting that it would attract the wrong type of people, add to the existing lack of car parks and accelerate the trend of shops moving out of the inner city.
7.9 Brendan Santorini (20759, page 5 of Late submissions )
Mr Santorini presented his submission, and highlighted his concerns regarding the 50 kmh speed limit in the inner city, requesting that it be lowered to 30 kmh for the inner city parts of Bridge and Hardy Streets, to make intersections and pedestrian crossings safer.
Attendance: Councillor Noonan left the meeting from 11.32a.m. to 11.35a.m.
Mr Santorini proposed that a 30kmh trial similar to that in Wanaka be considered, and that the declaration of a pedestrian mall be timed to coincide with declaration of a no-smoking area. Mr Santorini answered questions about additional closures of roads, noting issues with shade and car-centric behaviour.
At the end of the hearings, members asked for feedback from officers on several points to be included in the deliberations report, including the possibility of a winter trial closure and alignment with the six key moves for the CBD.
Attendance: Councillor Acland left the meeting at 11.53a.m. and Councillor Rutledge left the meeting from 11.55a.m. to 11.56a.m.
There being no further business the meeting ended at 12.08p.m.
Confirmed as a correct record of proceedings:
Chairperson
Date