The Business Association has a close working relationship with the Rodney District Council, and makes submissions on behalf of businesses.

From time to time, we will publish here, copies of submissions made to Council.

Submission:
To: The Rodney District Council
Private Bag 500
Orewa

SUBMISSIONS

RODNEY DISTRICT COUNCIL DRAFT LONG TERM PLAN

SUBMITTER: SILVERDALE BIZ INC.

1.                  As an Association, we are delighted to see that the Rodney District Council has ranked Silverdale as “First Priority” for new work. This emphasises what we as an Association have been saying for some time – Silverdale is the gateway to the entire Rodney region and must create the best possible image for visitors and new comers to this region.

2.                  It is pleasing to see, on page 93 under the heading of Transportation, that the Council will, as one of its Key Projects in the next 3 years, ‘develop a solution with Transit New Zealand to enable the Silverdale North Structure Plan to proceed with sufficient access to the motorway and/or the Hibiscus Coast Highway.’

3.                  With the above in mind, we would again ask that funds be set aside for adequate infrastructure – roading, sewerage, water, power supplies, telecommunications – to allow for the Silverdale North development to be systematically planned, included in the District Plan and thus give certainty to land developers.  Without some positive progress in this respect developers will pull out of the development leaving the region with a long term white elephant right on the doorway to Rodney.

4.                  Funding for the infrastructure needs to be agreed upon between the RDC and the developers, thus we would ask that a steering group be established including both Council and Developer representation along with specialist advisers in town planning, to come to an agreement on contributions.

5.                  Silverdale is rapidly running out of Industrial Zoned land and we ask that urgency be given to sourcing and/or re-zoning land to allow for the growth which is required commercially to improve Silverdale’s vibrancy.

6.                  We accept that, with the delays in progressing the Penlink access, enormous pressure is going to be borne by the main route into the region through Silverdale. We believe that all pressure is being applied to move forward on this project.  We would ask that the RDC focus on alternative means of transport, which will be very necessary, even when Penlink is in place, and look seriously at bringing rail in from the line which already exists in the West, improving our bus services and making the ferries more accessible to the Region.

7.                  With more efficient transport systems in place, and the ability for the public to use public transport effectively, we do not believe that the development of Silverdale North should be delayed until Penlink is complete.

8.                  We  appreciate that RDC is in communication with Transit over the vast number of roading problems in the Rodney region.  We would suggest that a business round table be set up as a negotiating body with Transit to help the RDC. The Government led body, which is Transit, needs to look at where development is happening in New Zealand, where a great number of our tourists are travelling  and where New Zealanders chose to holiday apart from the growing usage of Rodney roads by heavy transporters. We believe that one of the first questions which needs to be asked of Transit is “why, prior to a holiday weekend, they find it necessary to place a quarter page advertisement in the New Zealand Herald asking motorists to take the West Coast road route  to avoid congestion and long hold ups on the main route North? and yet they do not recognise that we have a traffic problem and have not included any of our roading improvements on their 10 year plan?”

Contact person:
Grant Vennell
Chairman
Silverdale Biz Inc.

P O Box 33
Red Beach 1461

Email: grant@gv.co.nz

Fax:    09 426 3433
Phone: 09 426 3400