Long Term Community Plan 2012-2022 - Hurunui District Council

Hurunui Community Long Term Plan 2012 - 2022
Assumptions and Risks
Buildings
It is assumed that we will continue to own the buildings we
currently have, and we are not planning on increasing our stock.
There is some risk in this, such as:
• We only provide pensioner housing in Amberley,
Cheviot, Hanmer Springs and Waikari. This may
inadvertently have social and cultural impacts upon the
age demographics in local communities as the elderly
population becomes concentrated in certain areas
only. This may result in higher demands on some local
services and facilities. Demand for pensioner housing in
some parts of the District at times is greater than our
supply. This could result in some older people leaving
the District when we are in fact keen for residents of all
ages to be able to live in the community of their choice.
Township Maintenance
It is assumed that the current facilities as described in this
section will continue to be needed by the local communities.
It is also assumed that the communities expect us to maintain
the facilities and amenities at the lowest cost possible. As the
population in the District changes, there are possible issues for
rate payers when having to fund facilities to match residents’ and
visitors’ expectations. Given the rural nature of the district, and
consequential small population, the costs can pose challenges.
• The Hurunui District has an aging population that is
expected to increase for the next several years. This
is expected to place additional demand for low cost
housing options for aging and retired people, as well
as retirement homes and villages. We believe that this
demand is best met by the private sector.
We have assumed that the community will continue to support
the need for us to build medical centres and keep them
relevant to the needs of modern medicine to attract medical
professionals to our District.
Public Toilets
We intend to continue to own, control and manage public
toilets throughout the district and replace them or build more
as required and can be properly justified. Discussion does take
place from time to time on the funding model for public toilets,
and whether or not the public should directly pay to use them.
Free use has been assumed for this long term plan.
Swimming Pools
Aside from routine maintenance and repairs, there is no budget
put aside to replace or significantly upgrade the two existing
swimming pools. There is a risk that the cost of doing so will
be greater than the community is prepared to pay. In the event
that the pools do fail and are not replaced, the local community
could be disadvantaged by not having this service at its disposal.
It is assumed that there is significant public support to either
replace or upgrade any pools before committing to the cost
involved.
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