Southern View: June 11, 2019

6 Tuesday June 11 2019
Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
News
Fighting for Linwood
•From page 5
“I’ve spoken to police, Deon
[Swiggs] and now I’ve got an
appointment with Duncan Webb,”
he said.
“If I die trying, I’m going to
help.”
Mr Calje said there was a
distinct police presence in the
area a while ago, but it had
dropped off as time went on.
Superintendent Lane Todd
said resources had been
diverted since the March 15 terror
attack.
“We are aware of concerns and
have been in touch with local
businesses to offer reassurance.
The Neighbourhood Policing
Team will be resuming duties in
Linwood Village in the coming
weeks,” he said.
“Police strongly encourage
anyone who feels threatened
or unsafe due to anti-social
behaviour to notify police
immediately, so we can respond
as appropriate. We want the
public to be safe, and feel safe.’’
Improving the area has been
on the radar of Central Ward city
councillor Deon Swiggs since he
was elected in 2016.
“It’s a local supermarket and
a huge loss of amenity for local
residents,” he said.
“But there’s a lot of potential in
the area, just a lot of deep-seated
social issues to overcome.”
Cr Swiggs lobbied hard for the
alcohol ban – but said there was
still a lot more to be done and in
spite of the supermarket leaving,
hope was not lost.
“We do need to do more. I
think the area needs a special
regeneration. The success of the
central city is dependent on the
suburbs around it,” he said.
However, Cr Swiggs said it was
more than just drinking, there
were mental health issues.
A city council spokesperson
said about 60 per cent of the area’s
commercial buildings were lost in
the earthquake.
There were concerns over
the recent loss of the supermarket.
“Anchors play an important
role in centres, and the loss of an
anchor such as a supermarket
may impact the vibrancy of a
centre.”
However, work is ongoing in
the area’s redevelopment.
“The Linwood Village Master
Plan was developed with the
community and adopted in
August 2012 to support the
recovery of the commercial
centre.”
Work to date includes landscape
improvements at Doris Lusk Park,
BATTLE:
Residents of the
Linwood Village
area, including
Lisa Howard and
Adam Calje and
its city councillor
Deon Swiggs,
continue to
advocate for
improvements to
the area.
ongoing case management with
property owners, intersection
improvements on Worcester St,
the liquor ban and the tiny
shops.
The area of Stanmore Rd is set
to be upgraded between next
year and 2022 and there is $1.87
million budgeted for Linwood
streetscape upgrades in the Long
Term Plan.
CLOSED: The
SuperValue
supermarket
on Stanmore
Rd is no longer
trading.
Residents have
mixed feelings for
council – surveys
WATER AND the state of
roads are the two major sources
of discontent with the city’s
residents.
The point of contact survey
and the general service
satisfaction survey are two of the
measures the city council uses
to gauge its performance and to
identify areas for
improvement.
The condition of
roads and footpaths
and the quality of
the water remain a
source of discontent
for people – 27 per
cent of people were
happy with the state
of the roads and 37
per cent with water
quality.
“The findings of these surveys
are valuable because they highlight
the areas where residents
feel we need to do better,’’ chief
executive Karleen Edwards said.
“For example, it is clear from
the point of contact survey
results that residents want better
maintenance and upkeep of our
community parks, wharves and
jetties, and cemeteries. That is
something elected members
will be able to take into account
when they meet over the next
few weeks to finalise the city
council’s budget and work
programme for the next 12
months.”
Dr Edwards said the survey
findings also show residents
don’t fully understand city
council decision-making
processes or how they can get
involved.
“That is something we need to
address,” she said.
“We need to make sure we are
communicating effectively with
all sectors of our community
and that everyone feels they can
engage with us on the issues
they care about,’’ Dr Edwards
says.
The general service
satisfaction survey shows 62
SOUTHERN VIEW
per cent of those surveyed are
generally satisfied with the
council’s performance – up from
55 per cent last year.
“One of the most pleasing
findings of the point of contact
survey is that 86 per cent of
those who were asked about
their interactions with city
council staff said they
found them to be
friendly, approachable
and helpful,” Dr
Edwards said.
“We have put a lot
of focus on improving
our customer service
and ensuring that we
put the needs of our
Karleen residents first so I’m very
Edwards pleased with this result,
although there is still
room for improvement.”
In the general service
satisfaction survey, roading
remains the most commonly
cited area for improvement,
followed by water supply.
“We know the condition of
our roads and footpaths remains
an issue and we are spending
an unprecedented amount of
money to try and improve the
situation,’’ Dr Edwards said.
“Before the earthquakes we
spent about $70 million a year,
in today’s dollars, on maintaining,
renewing and upgrading
the city’s roads and footpaths. In
this current year we are spending
$86 million.”
She said it was also investing
in the water supply.
“Unfortunately we have had to
chlorinate the water while that
work is done. As a result we have
seen satisfaction with the quality
of our water drop from 79 per
cent last year to 37 per cent,” she
said.
“By the end of May about
90 per cent of Christchurch’s
water supply is expected to
be chlorine-free and we are
working to remove the chlorine
from the remaining water
supply as quickly as possible.”
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