Notice of the ordinary meeting of the

Hearings Panel - Other

Rōpū Rongonga – Aha atu anō

Date:		Friday 25 September 2020
Time:		9.00 a.m.
Location:		Council Chamber, Civic House
			110 Trafalgar Street
			Nelson

Agenda

Rārangi take

Chair                Cr Brian McGurk 

Members         Cr Rohan O’Neill-Stevens  

                         Cr Mel Courtney 

                             

                             

                             

                             

         

Pat Dougherty

Chief Executive

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nelson City Council Disclaimer

Please note that the contents of these Council and Committee Agendas have yet to be considered by Council and officer recommendations may be altered or changed by the Council in the process of making the formal Council decision.


 

Hearings Panel – Other

Functions:

To conduct hearings and/or determine under delegated authority applications relating to the Dog Control Act 1996, all matters relating to Temporary Road Closures pursuant to Schedule 10 Clause 11(e) of the Local Government Act 1974, matters relating to naming features within the city, and any other matters required for determination by Council under legislation as determined by Council.

Membership:

All elected members aside from the Mayor, in rotation.  Each Hearings Panel-Other will be made up of three members.

The Group Manager Environmental Management may appoint one or more Independent Commissioners to either assist the Hearings Panel - Other or to hear and determine any particular application, such as when Council or a Council-Controlled Organisation or Council-Controlled Trading Organisation is (or could be perceived to be) an interested party, other than applications made for temporary road closure under Schedule 10 Clause 11(e) of the Local Government Act 1974.

Powers to Decide:

The power to appoint a panel to hear and determine with any other consent authority any application requiring a joint hearing

The power to hear and recommend appropriate actions from hearings of designations and heritage orders

The power to hear, consider and attempt to resolve contested road stopping procedures

The power to consider and determine applications for temporary road closures made under Schedule 10 Clause 11(e) of the Local Government Act 1974

The power to hear and determine all matters arising from the administration of the Building Act 1991, and the Building Act 2004

The power to hear and determine objections to the classification of dogs, and all other procedural matters for which a right of objection and hearing is provided for under the Dog Control Act, 1996

The power to name all features within the city requiring naming including roads, streets, service lanes, plazas, parking areas, parks, reserves, gardens and all public facilities or infrastructure, aside from those impacted by the Naming Rights and Sponsorship Policy for Community Services Facilities

The power to provide advice to applicants on appropriate names for private roads, rights of way or other legal forms of private access to property

The power to make changes to the schedules to the Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw that do not require public consultation

The power to hear submissions and recommendations on proposed changes to the schedules to the Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw requiring public consultation

The power to administer the administering body functions under section 48 of the Reserves Act 1977 on proposed rights of way and other easements on reserves vested in Council

 


Hearings Panel - Other

25 September 2020

 

 

Page No.

 

1.       Apologies

Nil

2.       Confirmation of Order of Business

3.       Interests

3.1      Updates to the Interests Register

3.2      Identify any conflicts of interest in the agenda

4.       Public Forum

 

5.       Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207 Amendments to Schedules                                          5 - 38

Document number R19258

Recommendation

That the Hearings Panel - Other

1.    Receives the report Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207 Amendments to Schedules (R19258) and its attachments (A2461924, A2455192, A2460051, A2460010, A2338098, A2425607); and

2.    Approves amendments detailed in report R19258 to Schedules 4, 5 and 8 of the Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207  to cater for Inner City Covered Bicycle stands and hubs:

·    Montgomery Square; and

·    Trafalgar Street.

3.    Approves an amendment as detailed in report R19258 to Schedule 8 of the Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207 to facilitate higher parking turnover on the north eastern periphery of Montgomery Square.

 

        

 

  


 

Item 6: Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207 Amendments to Schedules

 

Hearings Panel - Other

25 September 2020

 

 

REPORT R19258

Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207 Amendments to Schedules

     

 

1.       Purpose of Report

1.1      To approve proposed alterations to Schedules of the Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207, to give effect to installation of bike racks in Montgomery Square and Trafalgar Street.

 

 

2.       Recommendation

 

That the Hearings Panel - Other

1.    Receives the report Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207 Amendments to Schedules (R19258) and its attachments (A2461924, A2455192, A2460051, A2460010, A2338098, A2425607); and

2.    Approves amendments detailed in report R19258 to Schedules 4, 5 and 8 of the Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207  to cater for Inner City Covered Bicycle stands and hubs:

·    Montgomery Square; and

·    Trafalgar Street.

3.    Approves an amendment as detailed in report R19258 to Schedule 8 of the Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207 to facilitate higher parking turnover on the north eastern periphery of Montgomery Square.

 

 

 

3.       Background

3.1      The Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw 2011 allows for the Council by resolution, to add, amend or delete specifications contained within the Schedules. The Council has delegated this power to the Hearings Panel -Other. To ensure that the Bylaw is enforceable it is important to ensure that the Schedules are clear, easily understood by the public and updated on a regular basis. The Bylaw Schedules were last updated in August 2020.

3.2      Alterations and additions are proposed to Schedules 4 (Special Parking Areas), 5 (Paid Parking Space areas) and Schedule 8 (Time Limited Parking Areas) of the Bylaw as detailed in section 7 and 8 of the report.

3.3      The proposed changes are shown in Attachment 1A and 1B are for indicative purposes only by plans attached to this report. The purpose of these plans is to assist the panel to easily and quickly understand the nature of the changes proposed. These plans will not form part of the final bylaw. The actual changes as they will be incorporated into the final Schedules of the Bylaw, and with the level of detail required for enforcement purposes, are set out in the schedule of changes appended as Attachment 2.

4.       Background

Inner City Covered Bicycle stands and hubs affecting Schedules 4 (Special Parking Areas), 5 (Paid Parking Space Areas) and Schedule 8 (Time Limited Parking Areas)  

4.1      It is accepted nationally that the unavailability of secure bicycle parking facilities in city centres is one of the barriers to cycling in New Zealand. Providing secured, covered bicycle stands and dedicated parking for larger cargo bikes will assist in reducing these barriers.

4.2      The 2018-28 Long Term Plan (LTP) has two of its four priorities - Infrastructure and City Centre Development - that aim to, in the case of:

4.2.1   Infrastructure - provide safe networks for smart transport options;

4.2.2   City Centre Development - provide a CBD that is attractive to businesses, residents and visitors. 

4.3      The Regional Land Transport Plan 2018-28 specifically proposed allocation of capital spend in years 2 and 3 of the Plan to support infrastructural improvements that would raise the level of service for active modes of transport and to align with the Government Policy Statement (GPS) on land transport. The present GPS focuses on mode neutrality and reducing greenhouse gas and other emissions. These two goals highlight the Government’s revised directive towards investing in public and active modes of transport.

4.4      In addition to this, Council as part of the 2020/21 Annual Plan identified three focus areas for the triennium, one of these being Creating a Sustainable Transport Culture

4.5      To give effect to Council’s vision, a project to provide covered stands was included in the Regional Land Transport Plan and the 2018-28 LTP. This project will not only cater for the needs of existing bicycle users but also encourage more people to cycle as a mode of transport in and out of the City Centre. This project will support Council’s focus on creating a more sustainable transport culture through mode shift.

5.       Proposal

5.1      The proposed bike stands consist of two tiers that accommodate 60 bicycles as shown in Attachment 3. The stand and associated parking for cargo bikes and provision of a bicycle repair station requires a space with a length of 22m. It requires a width of 4.3m for safe operation.

5.2      Officers have worked closely with the City Development team to ensure the design of the stand is in keeping with the proposed city spatial plan and material palette in place elsewhere such as in Upper Trafalgar Street.

6.       Site selection

6.1      As part of the selection process officers assessed a number of sites against the following criteria:

·    Available space (length and depth) for safe operation

·    Desirability for users – i.e. it needed to be proximal to destinations

·    No relocation of any underground services required

·    Adequate passive surveillance and within range of existing CCTV cameras

·    Crime Prevention through Environmental design (CPTED) considerations

·    Acceptability to businesses with shop frontage potentially impacted by the facility

·    Sunshine for powering of solar lighting

·    Availability of nearby parking to offset any parking loss.

6.2      Eight sites were initially investigated. Preliminary engagement was carried out with Uniquely Nelson, directly affected retailers and user groups. From the initial 8 sites, two sites were selected as fitting the criteria, namely within Montgomery Square and Trafalgar Street. Further detail on these two locations is provided in sections 7 and 8. 

6.3      Following concerns raised by the City Centre Business Task Force Group (CCBTF) a further nine additional sites were evaluated, but not deemed to be suitable for the following reasons:

6.3.1 A number of locations within Buxton Square – available space was limited and safe operation of the stand was not possible without removal of between 5 and 7 three-hour carparks.

6.3.2 Halifax Street – underground services prevented kerb side location and putting the bike stand clear of these services required a phone box relocation, tree removal and removal of 6 existing carparks from within Millers Acre including 2 accessible carparks.

6.3.3 Bank Lane Reserve – would require use of the limited green space within the central city, has complexities with underground services and does not meet CPTED criteria. 

6.3.4 Hardy Street outside Bank Lane reserve - limited space for safe operation, requires tree removal and has complexities with underground services.

6.3.5 Trafalgar Street outside Burger King – has complexities with underground services.

6.3.6 Trafalgar Street on the existing aprons outside Council and State Cinema – has complexities with underground services.

6.3.7 Alma Lane, behind Quest apartments – has complexities with underground services and CPTED concerns.   

6.4      A map showing the full range of sites considered is appended as Attachment 4. Although the CCBTF remain concerned about the loss of carparks associated with the stands, feedback is that they understood why the proposed sites were selected.

6.5      If, at a later date, any alternative viable site is identified elsewhere in the central city, (through the Streets for People Project and city centre spatial plan), it is possible for the Trafalgar Street facility to be dismantled and relocated. There would be some cost to reinstating the carparks on Trafalgar Street.

6.6      It is worth noting that there have been concerns raised by the public about the location of the Trafalgar Street stand. It has been suggested that this stand was selected to provide secure bicycle storage for Council staff. This was not a factor in selecting the location as Council staff already have covered bicycle parking available within the old state advances Building. It is intended to replace this when the building is sold. This said Council staff may well use the new bike stands.

7.       Montgomery Square

7.1      Proposed changes in Montgomery Square include provision for the covered bike stand, the relocation of an accessible carpark, addition of a motorcycle park, converting two carparks on the northern periphery from P180 to P60 time limit. These are shown in Attachment 1.

7.2      Officers sought feedback from surrounding businesses regarding the installation of the bicycle shelter and hub, and subsequent loss of parking though targeted letter drop (Attachment 5), consultation with Bicycle Nelson Bays, and later engagement with the RTFG.

7.3      The proposed bike stand requires relocation of an existing accessible carpark and the loss of 3 three-hour carparks.

7.4      Verbal feedback received from retail outlet staff spoken to on the day of the letter drop (12 February) was positive. The following day contact with made with a retailer at the Manna Christian store which was also positive. A subsequent telephone call was received from the manager of Adult Learning Support (which has an office in the Square) which was also supportive.

7.5      This bike stand will also go towards addressing a need raised by the Nelson Member of Parliament who has previously petitioned Council requesting additional bike parking be made available in Montgomery Square due to very high demand, particularly on a Saturday when the Nelson market is operating.

7.6      The proposal provides an opportunity to add a motorcycle park on the northern edge of the Square in space that would otherwise be unoccupied. The existing motorcycle park on the western edge is unavailable to users when the Saturday Market is in operation.

7.7      As part of the engagement with the CCBTF, a request was made to consider time limited parking for two peripheral carparks on the northern edge of Montgomery Square. This request was made to support high turnover of the parks particularly when the Saturday Market is operating. These parks are outside of the Market lease area and officers propose a 60 minute time limit for consistency with Wakatu Square peripheral parking.

7.8      A contracted Total Mobility Operator approached Council in August 2020 suggesting the existing accessible carpark behind the MSD building is relocated closer to Trafalgar Street. This location has since been socialised with CCS which administers the parking permit scheme and has met with their approval.

7.9      The CCBTF did not voice any objection to the location for this bike stand.

8.       Trafalgar Street

8.1      Officers sought feedback from surrounding businesses regarding the installation of the bicycle shelter and hub, and subsequent loss of parking though targeted letter drop (Attachment 6), consultation with Bicycle Nelson Bays and later engagement with the CCBTF. This site requires the loss of 7 one-hour carparks

8.2      The bike stand will be situated directly in front of Council so no retail frontages are directly affected. The potential buyer of the next building along on Trafalgar Street, the old State Advances building, has been consulted and they were supportive of the proposed location cation. They were supportive of cycling facilities and did not oppose the location of the shelter as it does not impinge on the direct frontage of the building. Other nearby retailers spoken to on the day the letter was delivered were generally supportive of the bike stand.

8.3      Subsequent correspondence from State Cinema indicated that it preferred not to have the car parks removed as these were often used by cinema patrons after hours (Attachment 7).

8.4      Subsequent correspondence from Cephas Property which owns the building at 126 Trafalgar Street also raised concern about the loss of carparks across the City generally (Attachment 8).

9.       Options

9.1      Officers have considered 17 site location options. The two locations as presented in this report are supported by officers.

9.2      The Committee has four options – either approve these two locations, not approve the two locations, or approve either one of the two locations. 

 

 

 

Option 1: Adopt changes to Schedules 4, 5 and 8 for bike stands in Montgomery Square and Trafalgar Street

Advantages

·    Will provide secure bicycle parking facility in the city centre.

·    Improving the level of service for cyclists

·    Additional motorcycle parking on Saturday in Montgomery Square

·    Removes a known barrier to uptake of active travel

·    Supports retailer request to facilitate  some high turnover parking in part of Montgomery Square

·    Aligns with Government’s GPS, Council’s priorities and key focus area

·    Consistent with Council focus on supporting a sustainable transport culture.

 

Risks and Disadvantages

·    Loss of 2 three-hour car parking spaces in Montgomery Square and 7 one-hour spaces on Trafalgar Street

Option 2: Do not adopt changes to Schedules 4, 5  and 8 for bike stands in Montgomery Square and Trafalgar Street

Advantages

·    No net loss of carparks.

·    No expenditure of budget

Risks and Disadvantages

·    Failure to provide secure bicycle parking facility in the city centre

·    No change to current level of service for cyclists

·    Missed opportunity to relocate accessible parking and motorcycle stand as part of the project.

·    Ignores retailer request to facilitate some high turnover parking in part of Montgomery Square

·    Lack of secure bike parking remains a known barrier to uptake of active travel

·    No alignment with Government’s GPS, Council’s priorities and key focus area

·    Inconsistent with Council focus on building a sustainable transport culture.

Option 3: Adopt changes to Schedules 4, 5 and 8 for bike stands in Montgomery Square only 

Advantages

·    No loss of car parks on Trafalgar Street.

·    Reduced expenditure of budget

·    Supports retailer request to facilitate  some high turnover parking in part of Montgomery Square

·    Additional motorcycle parking on Saturday in Montgomery Square

Risks and Disadvantages

·    Loss of 2 three-hour car parking spaces in Montgomery Square

·    Failure to provide secure bicycle parking facility in the city centre, namely Trafalgar Street.

·    No increase to level of service for cyclists in Trafalgar Street

·    Lack of secure bike parking in part of the Central city remains a known barrier to uptake of active travel

·    Limited alignment with Government’s GPS, Council’s priorities and key focus area

·    Inconsistent with Council focus on building a sustainable transport culture.

Option 4: Adopt changes to Schedules 4, 5 and 8 for bike stands in Trafalgar Street only

Advantages

·    No net loss of car parks in Montgomery Square.

·    Reduced expenditure of budget

Risks and Disadvantages

·    Loss of 7 one-hour spaces on Trafalgar Street

·    Missed opportunity to relocate accessible parking and motorcycle stand as part of the project.

·    Ignores retailer request to facilitate some high turnover parking in part of Montgomery Square

·    Failure to provide secure bicycle parking facility in the city centre, namely Montgomery Square.

·    No change to current level of service for cyclists in Montgomery Square.

·    Lack of secure bike parking remains a known barrier to uptake of active travel

·    Limited alignment with Government’s GPS, Council’s priorities and key focus area

·    Inconsistent with Council focus on building a sustainable transport culture.

 

             10.  Next Steps

10.1    Building consent has been obtained and resource consent is being sought. If approved by the Committee, the project is ready for construction before the start of summer.

 

Author:          Margaret Parfitt, Manager - Transport and Solid Waste

Attachments

Attachment 1:  A2460010 Descriptive locations and changes to schedules

Attachment 2:  A2461924 Schedule for proposed changes

Attachment 3:  A2455192 Bike Shelter description

Attachment 4:  A2460051 Bike hub summary map of sites investigated

Attachment 5:  A2338098 Letter and Location Montgomery Square

Attachment 6:  A2425607 Letter and location Trafalgar Street

Attachment 7:  A2466426 State Cinema correspondence

Attachment 8:  A2466425 Cephas Inward/outward Correspondence

 

 

Important considerations for decision making

1.   Fit with Purpose of Local Government

The report recommendations meet current and future needs of communities in contributing to the safe use of the roading and parking network in the City.

2.   Consistency with Community Outcomes and Council Policy

The content and recommendations of this report are consistent with Council’s Community Outcomes – “Our Infrastructure is efficient, cost effective and meets current and future needs”. In particular that we have good quality, affordable and effective infrastructure and transport networks. This report is directly aligned to the requirements of the Parking Policy, the Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw and with Council’s strategic direction through the Regional Land Transport Strategy.

3.   Risk

To ensure that the Bylaw is clear, easily understood by the public and enforceable, it is important to ensure that the Schedules to the Bylaw are updated on a regular basis. Failure to update Schedules to the Bylaw will open enforcement up to challenge.

4.   Financial impact

Costs are within allocated annual budgets for road maintenance or capital projects.

5.   Degree of significance and level of engagement

This matter is of medium significance. Nearby businesses that could be affected, have been consulted. User groups have been engaged with and meetings have been held with the wider inner City Retailers Task Force.

6.   Climate Impact

This proposal support Council’s leadership towards reduction in carbon emissions by making alternative modes of travel competitive and attractive when compared to private car travel. Providing a higher level of service for active modes and increasing safety perceptions and amenity of our supporting transport infrastructure can influence travel behaviour that could have a positive effect on climate change and encourage modal shift.

7.   Inclusion of Māori in the decision making process

No engagement with Māori has been undertaken in preparing this report.

 

8.   Delegations

The Hearings Panel - Other has the following delegations to consider changes to the Parking and vehicle Control Bylaw.

Powers to Decide:

·      The power to make changes to the schedules to the Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw

 

 


Item 6: Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207 Amendments to Schedules: Attachment 1

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Item 6: Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207 Amendments to Schedules: Attachment 2

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Item 6: Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207 Amendments to Schedules: Attachment 3

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Item 6: Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207 Amendments to Schedules: Attachment 4

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Item 6: Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207 Amendments to Schedules: Attachment 5

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Item 6: Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207 Amendments to Schedules: Attachment 6

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Item 6: Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207 Amendments to Schedules: Attachment 7

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Item 6: Parking and Vehicle Control Bylaw (2011), No 207 Amendments to Schedules: Attachment 8   A2466425

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