Village plan receives mixed reaction

Lansdowne Neighbourhood Plan Working Group public meeting to discuss the implementation of the refurbishment plan for First Street at the Lansdowne Presbyterian Church hall. Rod Garden chaired th

The First Street Village plan drew heated debate among the 47 people who attended a public meeting on Tuesday in Masterton.

Chaired by Lansdowne Neighbourhood Plan Working Group member Rod Garden, the meeting was held to discuss the implementation of the plan which will cost Masterton District Council $383,600.

It met a mixed reception from First St business owners, Lansdowne residents, and council staff but Mr Garden said, as far as he was aware, the plan had room to accommodate concerns about parking, green space maintenance, and underground power.

"We don't have a blueprint, we have a blur print," he said.

"This means there is room to accept all the points that have been made and maybe accommodate everyone's wishes."

Mr Garden said Powerco had been contacted regarding underground power and that work was likely to happen in the March to June period, requiring two weeks trenching work and two weeks work on the transformer.

Dave Gallagher of Lansdowne Butchery said businesses were still recovering from low turnovers from when the water and sewer main work was done earlier this year and asked that the First St upgrade works be postponed for a year to allow them to recuperate. This request was denied.

"It's great having a nice, new area but if you don't have the businesses left because they've had to fold, it's a waste of time," Mr Gallagher said.

Lansdowne resident Michael Eckford voiced support for the businesses and said he was "getting the feeling that people here don't terribly want it done".

"I may be wrong but if people don't want it -- the people who live and work here -- why go to all this trouble?" he said.

"The place has been dug up for months. I've got into the habit of going another way, avoiding First St because of it.

"There are a number of businesses here pointing out the difficulties that they are going to encounter, and you've promised them another bit of short pain for long term gain, but you could kill some of them off."

Former Masterton mayor Frank Cody commended the job the plan's designers had done but thought not enough focus had been put on parking.

"I believe the focus has been too much on providing seats to cater for a mythical lot of people that just aren't there," he said.

"I approached a shop today and I was told there are so few people approaching on their feet that they could recognise my footsteps.

He said the streetscape plan will be a "lovely addition" but that "carparking should not be sacrificed to the extent that it has been".

Mayor Lyn Patterson said council would take on board the concerns that were raised and ensure that the upgrade was as least disruptive to businesses as possible.

"At the end of the day, council has to make a decision about the next 20 years, but we will take on board some of the comments that you have made," she said.

"This is not the first time a plan has been done. There have been another two times before.

"Let's work together and get it done together."

Liz Anderson, owner of First Class Hair Studio said she had been waiting 18 years for an upgrade and had pushed for the two past plans that "just kept getting pushed back".

"I'm all for beautifying it up," she said.