Disgruntled retailers and resident are coming together in an effort to ‘Green Up The Phoenix Carpark'.
About 60 residents and retailers from Mount Maunganui met next to the Phoenix carpark, which is to be named Te Papa o Ngā Manu Porotakataka, last night to discuss the new urban space in centre of Mount Maunganui.
Works at Mount Maunganui's new urban green space development started on July 2 2018.
The new name of the park was proposed in November last year and ever since, there has been an outpouring of complaints from people who call it a 'concrete jungle”.
Councillor Leanne Brown has tried to address the complaints and set the record straight about the Mount urban space. Read more here.
However, last night's meeting co-organisers Dawn Kiddie and Andrew Hollis believe more needs to be done in order to 'green-up” the urban space.
In the recently renamed Facebook group ‘Lets Green Up The Phoenix Carpark', Andrew posted his thoughts about the urban space and other issues Tauranga City Council has faced recently.
'Looks like the "green" space is only part of the problem. Bella Vista, Cayman apartments, the demolition of the council buildings because of black mould, the water reservoir (or lack of), the soon to be $5 million new I-site (will it be under budget (insert tui ad here)), oh....
'The disrespect shown to ratepayers and ratepayers' contributions is enormous,” reads Andrew's post.
The group is petitioning TCC to give 'us the green space we were promised. Not this monstrosity of concrete that replaces the asphalt that was at least useful”.
'Please feel free to join and add your voice to this campaign to get TCC to right yet another wrong.”
The people gathered at last night's public meeting in the Mount.
13 comments
Need a carpark
Posted on 14-02-2019 08:04 | By waiknot
My parents have attempted 3 times to go to a specific retailer downtown the MT. They gave up couldn’t get a carpark
Rarely go to the mount town center now....
Posted on 14-02-2019 08:20 | By jed
I just don't visit the mount town center so much. Council has removed too much parking . I don't know why they didn't fix the mount base track, instead of concreting the phoenix carpark.
Shade
Posted on 14-02-2019 08:41 | By november
I note the meeting was held with everyone standing in the shade!!!!!!! We should not be waiting for trees to grow. How about shade structures so people can sit and rest. In this high skin cancer risk country the lack of provision is just irresponsible.
Citizens own the council – not vice versa
Posted on 14-02-2019 09:10 | By Ben F
Council staff have approached this project with a preordained goal to erase Phoenix Carpark and any reference to it. They cleverly worded their consultation and survey documents to show apparent support for their agenda. The lady who gifted the carpark to the council would be appalled to know the council staff have spent $3M to destroy her lovely trees and replace the asphalt with concrete. Council believes it owns rate payers as its income source. Rate payers are not the council’s revenue generating property - We own the Council and they should genuinely listen.
Parking
Posted on 14-02-2019 09:16 | By Chookymac
Those wallys in TCC all they are interested in is finding places they can pull down a cover the ground with tarseal.They are as thick as (Two Short Planks of Wood) and that is describing them nicely.The Retailers at the other shopping centers must be laughing their tits of with what is going on down town.I may be wrong but there are Saturday open hours for some banks in all the other centers But I dont think any are open in down town TGA.So what does that tell you?
Wanted: Carparks
Posted on 14-02-2019 09:42 | By Nick220
I think the majority of the public just wanted the carpark to remain. The council should be removed of their power and every proposal to alter a public space should be subjected to a binding public vote
Wanted: Carparks
Posted on 14-02-2019 09:42 | By Nick220
I think the majority of the public just wanted the carpark to remain. The council should be removed of their power and every proposal to alter a public space should be subjected to a binding public vote
waiknot
Posted on 14-02-2019 14:01 | By usandthem
I walk through the downtown shopping area most mornings including the weekends.There is always plenty of parking depending on what time you go.Do your parents expect to park right outside the shop they are visiting like most other lazy people in Tauranga?It's fine to complain about something that's not right but exagerating to get your point across is not entirely honest.
Another Fiasco
Posted on 14-02-2019 14:27 | By Mommatum
When lack of parking in our urban centres is a major issue what does this Council do? Dumb down a perfectly functioning carpark into nothing but a glorified skate park. Then add without any public consultation I might add a long winded new name that very few will actually use. Perhaps instead o wasting rates money on vanity projects to pad their CVs they could try the basic art of listening. Perhaps if they did they’d save money, and time while retaining public goodwill.
Palms
Posted on 14-02-2019 14:41 | By Riddick
It was a crime cutting down the Palms in the first place. Maybe a 4 story aesthetically pleasing carpark with a top floor with bars or cafes would have kept locals happy. I'd be happy with a proper skate park too, it's a coastal town where everyone rides a board of some sort...
HOT
Posted on 14-02-2019 15:58 | By festino lente
Seriously this is not ok. Was downtown mount at the weekend, this so called people friendly space as radiating heat. There was no visible shade, the glare from the concrete was significant and to top it off it is still fenced off, totally missing being available over the busiest time of the year. How can we build areas that do not allow for 'climate change' the need to be out of the sun and that are in keeping with the area they are in.
Months
Posted on 14-02-2019 17:19 | By Told you
If it is any consolation to the ratepayers these councillors only have 10 more months in office roll on October and we can vote this lot out of council.
park
Posted on 15-02-2019 13:44 | By mlangdon
This whole 'plan' is just a nonsense, it has always been hard to get a park down town the Mount and now even harder, and that name for goodness sake, how do you even pronounce it, obviously we will all still call it Phoenix Park. Who wants a concrete jungle in the middle of town with no shade at all, who dreams up these ridiculous ideas, obviously some pen pusher in Tauranga who obviously never comes to the Mount. Cant wait for the Local By Elections to get rid of this bunch.
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