Councils Holding the Country to Ransom

[Wayne]

"To take a couple of examples, planning rules in Auckland require apartments to be at least 40 square metres," English said.

And I thought that rule was brought in after outrage by the people at the tiny shoebox apartments that were being produced.
Obviously we should remove all planning rules entirely.

[Wayne]

Anyone see the news tonight regarding the 27 storey waterfront hotel in Dunedin that has now being shelved? The developers spent 1M trying to battle the council to get a resource consent and failed.Its now being scrapped. The developers have blamed the Dunedin Council.

And it seems if it was approved everyone would end up complaining at the impossible traffic situation it created.
Not all sites are suitable for any use.
There are 2 sides to most stories and it seems that this one makes good headlines but has another angle.
Isn't is interesting that that when media report something that reinforces a persons view they are fair and balanced but when it is against their view it is a conspiracy of the left?

[Wayne]

I'm not so sure about that .Often most of the radicals appear to be born late 50's early 60's.Examples:Anti smacking crusader Sue Bradford, Maori Activists, Dr Ranganui Walker, Donna Hall, Eddie Durie, Pita Sharples, Hone Harawira,Willie Jackson then leftists like Brian Edwards, Brian Rudman & virtually all NZ Herald columnists. Add drelly & speights boy to that list too..

It could be that they were the last generation who knew right from wrong and had some morals, empathy and intestinal fortitude?
Just a thought!
It's a bit like Uni's these days. It used to be that Uni's were a hotbed of radicalism but that seems to be gone.
They learnt to challenge orthodox thinking and challenge they did.
They are more worried about passing, getting their degree and paying off the student loan.

[elguapo]

And I thought that rule was brought in after outrage by the people at the tiny shoebox apartments that were being produced.
Obviously we should remove all planning rules entirely.

This is the joke of "affordable" housing.

When people talk about affordable housing, they do not mean cheap houses, they mean nice houses at a much lower price. Those shouting loudest for it want both cheaper, and higher quality at the same time, heat pumps, double glazing, etc. To make it affordable, you have to make it cheaper, there are only so many ways of doing that. Make is smaller, reduce the cost of materials, reduce the cost of labour, or reduce the cost of planning/consents.

The only variable in that is possible to change currently is the 'make it smaller' bit.

[flyernzl]

In many cases, smaller does not mean cheaper to construct.

People remain about the same size, regardless of the space that they can afford.

This has been a major problem for motor car manufacturers - when you buy a Mini or a Mercedes, the human frame still has to fit inside and be able to manipulate the controls.

[mrsaneperson]

It could be that they were the last generation who knew right from wrong and had some morals, empathy and intestinal fortitude?
Just a thought!
It's a bit like Uni's these days. It used to be that Uni's were a hotbed of radicalism but that seems to be gone.
They learnt to challenge orthodox thinking and challenge they did.
They are more worried about passing, getting their degree and paying off the student loan.

Really so you like all the destructive policies of Sue Bradford & the Maori Activist brigade? Utter shame!Well Wayne i think you need to read that book i recommended since you are supporting the destruction of our society by the left brigade. :
Tammy Bruce "The death of right & wrong"

[mrsaneperson]

And it seems if it was approved everyone would end up complaining at the impossible traffic situation it created.
Not all sites are suitable for any use.
There are 2 sides to most stories and it seems that this one makes good headlines but has another angle.
Isn't is interesting that that when media report something that reinforces a persons view they are fair and balanced but when it is against their view it is a conspiracy of the left?

I dont know enough about the project ,but if my own personal dealings with our own Auckland council bureaucracy are anything to go by ,i can understand the sheer frustration of the developers involved in this canned project. And yes i might be wrong.

[elguapo]

In many cases, smaller does not mean cheaper to construct.

Quite true in terms of a house, after all the cost of making a room bigger isn't high, it's mostly air. Bathrooms etc are the high cost rooms, and you still need them no matter how big the house. But you get more units for the same amount of land, that's where the big difference is.

[Bob Kane]

I've been thinking about what can be done about about the behaviour of council staff.
The problem is they aren't accountable for their actions or the performance of the council.
What to do?
How about putting the senior staff on contracts?
Every 3 years their contract ends and they can reapply.
Who would decide the appointments?
How about councillors?
So it would look like this:
- residents/ratepayers elect the councillors
- councillors select and appoint the senior council staff

This would break the cosy, job-for-life career of council staff and make them accountable to the residents.
Must be some flaws in this idea - what do you think?

[Perry]

Seems like a good idea, but . . . The flaw is the hidden 'cosy-up' factor.
A sort-of: I'll scratch your back if you'll scratch mine 'ethic.' Although
ethic isn't the right word.

That in itself is a by-product of the end-all stance to arguments between
the closeted coterie of functionaries and the elected ones: "we have to;
it's in the legislation."

Like Russell's struggle with the bureaucrats over the marae hearing.

[Davo36]

I live not far from New Lynn. And the council have spent the last 5 years or more undertaking exensive developments at huge cost to this area. So guess where the worst place for traffic lights in Auckland is?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11244524

They couldn't have chosen a blanker slate. Across this sprawling city of 1.4 million are more than 760 sets of traffic lights. In places they have sprouted like runner beans - the country's highest concentration is not in the CBD but in Clark St, New Lynn, where motorists must negotiate nine sets of lights in less than 1km. It's when you're running such gauntlets of apparently unco-ordinated signals that your passenger from Wellington or Bangkok inevitably pipes up about Auckland's third world infrastructure: "Why can't they phase the lights here like they do back home?"

Yep they've totally screwed driving in that area, despite widening Clark St as it's a main arterial route and building a whole new bit of road at one end of it(at HUGE expense, again) to take traffic around the CBD of New Lynn.

But then they don't want cars. They want pedestrians, cyclists and people using the train.

But did anyone vote for this?

[elguapo]

I've said this before, but planners for the most part believe cars are an aberration, something they only have to tolerate until their dreamed cycle and walking utopia arises.

[Davo36]

I've said this before, but planners for the most part believe cars are an aberration, something they only have to tolerate until their dreamed cycle and walking utopia arises.

Oh for sure. They get taught at uni: a) You're more important and you know more than anyone else and b) Cars are a blight on the earth to be removed asap.

[PC]

Clark St used to be a quick drive with few problems.
Until the council "fixed" it.

[Davo36]

Yep they 'fixed it' real good, at great expense. Put a few businesses under in the process (road closed for over 6 months).

And now we have shiny new trains coming. Oh goodie goodie.