City Development Committee
Report of a meeting held in the Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, 30 Laings Road,
Lower Hutt on
Tuesday 3 July 2018 commencing at 5.30pm
PRESENT: Deputy Mayor D Bassett (Chair) Cr C Barry (from 5.32pm)
Cr G Barratt Cr M J Cousins
Cr S Edwards Cr T Lewis
Cr M Lulich Cr G McDonald
Cr C Milne Cr L Sutton (Deputy Chair)
Mayor WR Wallace
APOLOGIES: There were no apologies.
IN ATTENDANCE: Mr T Stallinger, Chief Executive
Ms K Kelly, General Manager, City Transformation
Mr B Kibblewhite, General Manager, Corporate Services
Mr M Reid, General Manager, City and Community Services
Mr G Craig, Divisional Manager, City Growth
Mr P Maaka, Urban Design Manager (part meeting)
Mr H Shafiee, Economist/Senior Policy Advisor (part meeting)
Mr R Qian, Landscape Architect (part meeting)
Mr A Hopkinson, Senior Traffic Engineer
Ms D Male, Committee Advisor
PUBLIC BUSINESS
1. APOLOGIES
There were no apologies.
2. PUBLIC COMMENT
Comments are recorded under the item to which they relate.
3. Presentation
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Technology Valley Update Presentation (18/1079) Cr Chris Milne elaborated on the background of Technology Valley, the tie in with Council’s STEMM Sector Development Manager and introduced Ms Anthea Armstrong. She thanked members for their investment and advised that an update report would be presented at the next Committee meeting scheduled for September. Ms Armstrong, representing Technology Valley presented to members the key highlights relating to the work of Technology Valley and launch in September 2018. She said that work had been completed on a stocktake of the sector and how to create opportunities to engage with the sector. She listed the types of sector activities they would look to host. She added that their targets and aspirations for the future were to become a brand for the Hutt Valley and to be known internationally. She further added that part of the ongoing business development plan would be to look for partnerships and sustainable revenue streams. In response to questions from members, Ms Armstrong advised that partnership and collaborative working was being reviewed with organisations such as Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, youth engagement organisations, the Silicon Valley Forum and the Microsoft Programme. Cr Milne encouraged members to attend a meeting being held at BNZ Queensgate on Wednesday 22 August 2018 at 5.30pm. He agreed to email details to members. The Chair thanked Ms Armstrong for the presentation and invited her to attend the November Committee meeting to give a further presentation. |
4. CONFLICT OF INTEREST DECLARATIONS
Deputy Mayor Bassett declared a conflict of interest in item 8, Activity Report: Water Supply, Wastewater and Stormwater and took no part in discussion or voting on the matter.
Members noted Cr Sutton declared she was a member of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, in relation to item 6, Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce – Six Monthly Update to 31 December 2017 and item 7, Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce – Proposed Contract.
PRECEDENCE OF BUSINESS
In accordance with Standing Order 10.4, the Chair accorded precedence to item 6 dealing with Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce – Six Monthly Update to 31 December 2017 and item 7 dealing with Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce – Proposed Contract.
The items are recorded in the order in which they were listed on the order papers.
5. Recommendation to Council - 24 July 2018
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The General Manager, City Transformation, the Urban Design Manager and Mr Graeme Campbell, Manager, Flood Protection from Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) elaborated on the report. Crs Milne and Sutton left the meeting at 7.00pm. The General Manager, City Transformation highlighted to members the financial considerations section of the report, which provided for a breakdown of funding provided for in the Long Term Plan from 2018-2028. Crs Milne and Sutton rejoined the meeting at 7.03pm. The General Manager, City Transformation advised there were still elements of uncertainty in the budget, where elements of costs were yet to be allocated. She gave an example of the $6.5M for a footbridge, where the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) may contribute. She added that discussions relating to quality levels had not yet taken place, such as the materials for the footbridge, which could affect the cost. She advised that when aspects were more certain, further discussions would take place with Council. Mr Campbell confirmed that GWRC had signed off on the Preliminary Design Approval. Cr Barratt left the meeting at 7.06pm. A video was shown on the RiverLink project. Cr Barratt rejoined the meeting at 7.08pm. Mr Campbell thanked members for the invitation to the meeting and added that Mr Alistair Allan from GWRC had passed on his apologies to the meeting, but confirmed that he was viewing the meeting via the live streaming. |
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In response to questions from members, the General Manager, City Transformation advised that the strategic properties budget was outlined in the officer’s report, there could be opportunities going forward which Council could choose to fund and these would not be budget overspends. She gave examples of these as pressure to roll out projects earlier, such as an update to the Andrews Avenue area. The Chair thanked the team for the presentation and confirmed that the Hutt Valley Flood Management Subcommittee had unanimously agreed to the recommendations. He acknowledged the work of the GWRC officers and wished it to be recorded that the ratio remained the same after the submission to the GWRC Long Term Plan. |
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RECOMMENDED: (Deputy Mayor Bassett/Mayor Wallace) Minute No. CDC 18301 “That the Committee recommends that Council: (i) notes that Hutt City Council (HCC) has been working with Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) and New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) on the RiverLink project since 2012 when conceptual design for RiverLink commenced; (ii) notes that HCC has allocated funding of $51.9M in its 2018-2028 LTP for the Making Places components and associated works for the RiverLink project; (iii) endorses the urban design, city infrastructure and local road components (referred to as Making Places components) contained within Appendix 1 attached to the report - Riverlink Preliminary Design Summary Report and outlined in more detail in Appendix 2 attached to the report – The Making Places Story; (iv) endorses the outline programme for implementing RiverLink including consenting and construction, attached as Appendix 3 to the report, noting that programming is subject to decisions to be made by GWRC and NZTA; (v) endorses proceeding to detailed design and consenting of the Making Places components jointly with our project partners as part of Riverlink, noting that programming is subject to decisions to be made by GWRC and NZTA; (vi) supports NZTA completing its detailed business case (DBC) for the Melling Transport Improvements that form part of Riverlink in collaboration with GWRC and HCC, and the recommendation of the DBC to the NZTA Board at the end of 2018; (vii) supports GWRC in completing its preliminary design for the flood protection components and associated works that form part of RiverLink; and (viii) notes that officers will report back to the City Development Committee before the end of 2018 confirming the decision of NZTA and GWRC and the programme for the next stage.” |
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For the reasons that this is a collaborative project and these approvals enable the project to move to the next stage. |
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6. |
Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce - Six Monthly Update to 31 December 2017 (18/939) Report No. CDC2018/3/193 by the Divisional Manager City Growth |
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Mr Neville Hyde, President of Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc (HVCC) introduced Mr Mark Skelly, Vice President and Ms Helen Down, Board Member. Mr Hyde elaborated on the report. In response to comments made under public comment, Mr Hyde advised the HVCC was not in Council’s pocket and highlighted that they had been very vocal and made representations in relation to the living wage decisions at Council, although they had been unsuccessful in regard to Council employees. Mr Skelly said that feedback and opinions from local business owners was important to them, they had over 700 members and 4,000 people on an email mailing list to gain feedback from. Mr Hyde added that they had a good rate of return, a recent survey in business confidence had been participated in by 111 members. |
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In response to a question from a member, Mr Hyde advised that generally the HVCC had sponsors for events such as workshops, to be self-supporting and a charge was only usually requested to cover catering. |
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Resolved: (Deputy Mayor Bassett/Cr Barratt) Minute No. CDC 18302 “That the Committee receives the report.” |
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For the reasons the HVCC is required to report six monthly to this Committee on performance against agreed targets. |
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7. |
Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce - Proposed Contract (18/1078) Report No. CDC2018/3/192 by the Divisional Manager City Growth |
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Speaking under public comment, Mr M Shierlaw said that spending money should carry a huge duty of care when Council decides on giving $100k of ratepayers money to the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc (HVCC). He believed that the report was full of half-truths in comparison to the HVCC’s annual report. He questioned if it was a contract for service or a handout to the HVCC. He added that the key performance indicators in the proposed contract were just to promote what Council was working on and it would serve the City better if HVCC was able to speak openly. In response to questions from members, Mr Shierlaw advised that he was aware that Kapiti District, Southland District, Auckland and Wellington Councils did not support their Chambers of Commerce. He could not testify that no other Councils did. He said that he could not see in the contract items that the HVCC did not already offer to Council. He was unable to give examples of when the HVCC had not spoken open and freely, due to receiving funding from Council. |
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Mr Hyde, President of HVCC elaborated on the report. Mayor Wallace left the meeting at 6.17pm Mr Hyde added that the deliverables were attached to the officer’s report and they had tried to cover all eventualities, noting that there was flexibility to change the deliverables, by agreement. Mayor Wallace rejoined the meeting at 6.18pm. Mr Skelly, Vice President of HVCC added that the list was suggested based on the officers’ requirements. He noted that, although the Council contract was important to the HVCC, they had suggested the lower value contract. Ms Down, Board Member of HVCC believed that the best results came from working together constructively before problems arose, which Council and the HVCC were able to do. |
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The Divisional Manager, City Growth advised that changes at the HVCC related to a change to personnel and the area where Council got real value was the access to the HVCC’s business community. He added that Council did not have the resources to engage with the scale of the business community the HVCC could. He said the proposed contract was different to previous contracts and was tailored for Council to access feedback, which added value for Council. The Chief Executive advised that he was a Board member of the HVCC, although he was no longer a member, he had stayed out of discussions on the proposed contract. He added that it was important for the City to have a vibrant Chamber of Commerce to support economic growth and employment and noted that business ratepayers paid higher rates than residents. In response to questions from members, Mr Hyde highlighted key points from the business confidence survey and confirmed that without a signed contract, Council would not be provided with the data and feedback. The Divisional Manager, City Growth added that with the contract, Council had the ability to add questions to the HVCC’s surveys to obtain specific feedback. Mr Hyde believed that the proposed contract offered good value to ratepayers. He added that some options had been removed from the contract as those areas had been tailored to the HVCC’s Chief Executive at the time. He highlighted that these had been reviewed to move forward with the skill set of the new Chief Executive. In response to further questions from members, the Divisional Manager, City Growth advised that Council would only pay for the elements used. He noted the costs allowed for the time of HVCC staff and any overhead costs to provide the input. The Chair thanked the members of the HVCC, the Divisional Manager, City Growth and the General Manager, City Transformation for the time and effort put into the new proposed contract. He advised that the recommendations would be recommended to Council. Members commented that the proposed contract would give a clear strong relationship with accountability and transparency. |
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RECOMMENDED: (Deputy Mayor Bassett/Cr McDonald) (BY DIVISION) Minute No. CDC 18303 “That the Committee recommends that Council: (i) notes that the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce & Industry Inc (HVCC) indicated as a result of a restructure completed earlier this year that it would end its current contract for services to Council as at 30 June 2018; (ii) notes that officers and representatives of the HVCC have been discussing a revised service offering as the basis of a future contract with the HVCC; (iii) notes that Council has budgeted $100,000 per annum in the Long Term Plan 2018-2028 for a future contract with the HVCC; (iv) notes the Draft Contract Services Delivery Schedule, attached as Appendix 1 to the report; and (v) approves that the Draft Contract Services Delivery Schedule form the basis of a contract for services with the HVCC – that contract to be for three years with the Contract Services Delivery Schedule to be reviewed and agreed every 12 months”. |
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The motion was declared carried by division with the voting as follows:
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For the reasons that the HVCC’s relationship with Council has been constructive and it has consistently supported Council’s drive to improve infrastructure and community and business support services. An ongoing positive relationship between the Council and HVCC will have beneficial outcomes for both working with businesses and encouraging business activity in Lower Hutt and the Hutt Valley. Officers’ view is that we could not replicate the level of service within Council for the same or less cost. |
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8. |
Activity Report: Water Supply, Wastewater and Stormwater (18/295) Report No. CDC2018/3/101 by the Senior Engineer, Service Planning, Wellington Water Ltd |
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Deputy Mayor Bassett declared an interest in the item and took no part in discussion or voting on the matter. Cr Sutton assumed Chair for the item. |
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Mr Chris Matthews, the General Manager Business Services, Wellington Water Ltd (WWL) and the General Manager, City and Community Services elaborated on the report. Mr Matthews highlighted that WWL had been doing its own regional review on the standard of drinking water, following the issues at Havelock North. The review was to be proactive prior to the Ministry of Health review to potentially bring in a new standard. In response to a question from a member, Mr Matthews advised that Lower Hutt City met the standard, with the current ultra violet treatment. He advised that fluoride was not required to be added to the water. Mayor Wallace left the meeting at 7.37pm. In response to questions from members, Mr Matthews and Mr Anthony Clarke, Senior Engineer, Service Planning, WWL, elaborated on the charts within the officer’s report. Mayor Wallace rejoined the meeting at 7.40pm. Cr Lewis left the meeting at 7.40pm. In response to a question from a member, Mr Clarke confirmed that the Asset Management Plan was peer reviewed internally at WWL and externally by Audit New Zealand. Cr Lewis rejoined the meeting at 7.42pm. Members commented on the quality of WWL’s report and the good work being undertaken by WWL. |
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Resolved: (Cr Sutton/Mayor Wallace) Minute No. CDC 18304 “That the Committee: (i) notes the information contained in this report; (ii) notes that this review also meets the intent of section 17A of the Local Government Act 2002; and (iii) agrees that a full section 17A review should not be undertaken at present for the reasons outlined in the report.” |
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General Managers' Report (18/928) Report No. CDC2018/3/194 by the Development Planning Liaison Manager |
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Deputy Mayor Bassett resumed the Chair. |
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The General Manager, City Transformation and the General Manager, City and Community Services elaborated on the report. The General Manager, City Transformation agreed to add information on heritage and urban design in future reports. She confirmed the matters were reported on annually to the Policy and Regulatory Committee. In response to a question from a member, the General Manager, City and Community Services agreed to review who was leading on the installation of new community hydration stations for Wainuiomata and its location. In response to a question from members, the General Manager, City Transformation advised that a workshop had already been held relating to heritage and a second workshop would be held when more work had been completed on the proposed Heritage Policy. |
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Resolved: (Deputy Mayor Bassett/Mayor Wallace) Minute No. CDC 18305 “That the Committee notes the updates contained in the report.” |
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Road Closure Request - Highlight: Carnival of Lights (18/1087) Report No. CDC2018/3/195 by the Senior Traffic Engineer |
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The Senior Traffic Engineer elaborated on the report. |
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Resolved: (Deputy Mayor Bassett/Mayor Wallace) Minute No. CDC 18306 “That the Committee: (i) agrees to approve the following proposed Temporary Road Closure subject to the conditions listed in the Proposed Temporary Road Closure Impact Report and Plan attached as Appendices 1 and 2 to the report: Highlight: Carnival of Lights 2018 Laings Road from Knights Road to a point 30 metres west of Myrtle Street, from 5:00am on Friday 19 October 2018 to 5:00am on Tuesday 23 October 2018; (ii) agrees, for the Highlight: Carnival of Lights event, to temporarily rescind, for the period 5:00am on Friday 19 October 2018 to 5:00am on Tuesday 23 October 2018, all current parking restrictions applying to Laings Road on both sides, from Knights Road to a point 30 metres west of Myrtle Street; and (iii) agrees, for the Highlight: Carnival of Lights event, to approve a No Stopping At All Times parking restriction for the period 5:00am on Friday 19 October 2018 to 5:00am on Tuesday 23 October 2018 on both sides of Laings Road from Knights Road to a point 30 metres west of Myrtle Street.” |
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For the reason that the road closure is required to accommodate the Highlight: Carnival of Lights 2018. |
11. Information Item
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City Development Committee Work Programme (18/930) Report No. CDC2018/3/102 by the Committee Advisor |
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Resolved: (Deputy Mayor Bassett/Cr McDonald) Minute No. CDC 18307 “That the work programme be noted and received.” |
12. QUESTIONS
There were no questions.
There being no further business the Chair declared the meeting closed at 8.10pm.
Deputy Mayor D Bassett
CHAIR
CONFIRMED as a true and correct record
Dated this 24th day of July 2018