Southern View: June 12, 2018

SOUTHERN VIEW Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Tuesday June 12 2018 7
News
Urumau bike tracks to stay or go?
Reserve plan
rejected again
• By Sarla Donovan
AN UPDATED development
plan for Lyttelton’s Urumau
Reserve has been rejected for
the second time.
The sticking point is whether
some mountain bike tracks in
the reserve should be removed
or retained.
The Banks Peninsula Community
Board first considered
the plan on April 16 but sought
clarification
on the legality
and compliance
of tracks
within the reserve
and their
environmental
impact, along
Jed
O’Donoghue
with traffic
and parking
issues.
A new report
presented to the board last
week said advice from the city
council’s legal team was that
tracks can develop over time
simply by people repeatedly using
a particular area.
But it appeared city council
staff had “worked with (reserve
management) committee members
on track alignment and the
like” in the years since the 2008
plan was approved, said the
report.
It concluded the Urumau
mountain bike tracks complied
with design guidelines and
standards, there was no increased
sedimentation run-off
caused by the tracks, and they
avoided native planting sites as
much as possible.
But the board again backed
away from adopting the plan
and has asked the committee
to meet with an independent
facilitator to decide whether to
close any tracks before the plan
is adopted.
The report noted that city
council ranger staff were “aware
of the, at times, fractious nature
of the committee.”
It said discussions and
decisions about the mountain
bike track network made at
committee meetings were
often “poorly formalised and
subsequently poorly recorded in
the minutes.”
Tracks can only be removed
UNDECIDED:
The future of
current and
proposed
mountain
bike tracks
in Urumau
Reserve is still
up in the air. ​
by the board as part of the
development plan process and
before final adoption.
Board member Jed
O’Donoghue said it was
important to get the plan right
because, once adopted, it would
have to go before the full city
council if any tracks needed to
be removed.
“We want to be very clear
about what is and isn’t going to
stay there and want everybody
to be comfortable with that.”
Mr O’Donoghue said no date
had been set for the meeting.
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June 29 - July 1 10AM - 5PM
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School plans
outdoor
learning area
LOCAL RESIDENTS are being
invited to muck in and help
transform Beckenham Te Kura o
Pūroto’s outdoor area by planting
a large number of native trees on
June 16.
Alongside the community,
the TREEmendous team will
convert an unused area of the
school’s grounds into an outdoor
classroom.
The school plans to create
an outdoor learning space that
children can interact with and
learn about the environment.
Their new classroom will
include a magnetic wall, large
birds nests made of logs and a
range of play equipment for the
children to engage with.
The school, which was affected
by the February 22, 2011,
earthquake, and lost its library
to a fire in 2012, hopes the new
learning area will inspire a love of
nature in the children.
The Bugman Ruud Kleinpaste
will also be there to teach
students about the bugs found in
gardens.
Planting will begin at 8.30am
and a barbecue lunch will be held
from noon.
Sunday 17 June, 1– 4pm
We warmly invite you to our open afternoon this Sunday.
Join us for a special tour of our serviced apartments,
resthome, hospital and dementia care centre.
Feel free to bring a friend or family member with you, and
please call us if you require assistance with transport.
If you would like to learn more about the care options, the
fees and your subsidy entitlements then we encourage you
to attend our information presentation at 2pm.
We look forward to seeing you.
For more information please phone
Rosemary or Susie on 337 2702
222 Colombo Street, Beckenham
8218