The mare and foal outside Cambridge Town Hall
Cambridge Community Board chair Charlotte FitzPatrick is looking to bring next month’s meeting forward for members to discuss a trio of draft problem statements relating to Cambridge Connections.
Charlotte FitzPatrick
Waipā District Council’s Strategic Planning and Policy Committee is set to approve the draft statements the day before the community board meets on Thursday, December 4.
Cambridge Connections project director Katie Mayes brought the draft statements, developed following a project reset, before a council workshop attended by FitzPatrick earlier in the month.
Workshop chair Mike Montgomerie told FitzPatrick the board was a very important part of the discussion.
“From the community board perspective, we would like to have a chance to have a look at these problem statements and provide you with feedback,” FitzPatrick said.
Mike Montgomerie
“The time frame around the Strategic Planning and Policy Committee is a little bit tricky for us, but we’ll do our best around that.”
FitzPatrick asked why the council had not quantified the problems in the statements.
Council transportation manager Bryan Hudson said the problem statements were designed to be short and sharp and the evidence would be presented in the draft strategic case.
“Each of these problem statements does have to have evidence that backs it up,” he said.
FitzPatrick told The News she was seeking advice on rescheduling the community board meeting or members providing feedback to the council individually.
Bryan Hudson
“Governance is looking into the best option for us and will advise,” she said.
Cambridge Connections community reference group co-chair Peter Carr said the feedback the problem statements were based on would fill a room.
“I’m really pleased to see an open book process taking place,” he said.
“There is possibly some low hanging fruit that can be addressed now, even if it’s the redirection of trucks around a certain route to reduce danger and bottlenecks.”
Co-chair Chris Flatt was equally pleased with council progress.
Peter Carr
“Not everybody is going to be happy with the outcome, but as somebody who does still live in the Blue Blob, well done on what you have done on reset,” Flatt said,
“It was a shocker. From someone that was not engaged in this process historically, and got to see it all, it was a shocker, it was a textbook of what not to do.
“What you’re doing now is unpacking that, acknowledging you are getting rid of all of that, but you are unpacking it and bringing it back on track, so thank you for that.”
Flatt said there were different views on the community reference group, but their job was to bring it all together.
Te Awamutu councillor Shane Walsh said the council’s problem statements looked pretty good.
Shane Walsh
“If you take the word Cambridge out and add the word Te Awamutu you have the same problem. You could argue because of the width of the main street, the safety aspects with trucks and is probably higher risk than Cambridge.”
Walsh wanted to know what the transport plan was for Te Awamutu.
Hudson said a business case with actions had been prepared during the pandemic and tentatively included in the last draft long term plan, but funding was delayed due to financial pressure.
Cambridge Connections problems
