“At its last meeting on 7 February 2023 the Paraparaumu Community Board asked Kapiti Coast District Council to stop work on the Te Uruhi Gateway Development at MacLean Park and abandon the project” says Guy Burns, Deputy Chair of that Community Board.
“Most elected members of Council pledged to stop the Gateway Project during their election campaigns as a strategy to win popular public opinion. These Councillors will have a chance to fulfil these pledges in a few weeks, when they meet to make a decision regarding terminating this ill thought-out project.
The Te Uruhi Gateway development was the brainchild of the former Mayor. Just as he has gone to pasture, so must the Gateway be put to grass. This misguided vision has never had the majority backing of the Kapiti Community.
If Councillors break their election promises and continue the Project, the construction costs, and long term staff and maintenance expenses will further contribute to rates rises.
Council needs to start reducing expenditure and look for organisational efficiencies to counter the ravaging effects of inflation which will suddenly produce double-digit rates rises.”
Well done Guy and colleagues.
The KCDC believes it knows what is best for its ratepayers – it just wants more money from all of you.
Best sack the lot of them.
This makes me so grumpy! Look at the cost of the gateway compared to all the other spending by council. Why would any of our children want to stay living here when we have so many people against change? So in a few years, the experience people get when they go to Kapiti Island will still be terrible. The airport will be closed for more housing (and baby boomers making more capital gains). and our kids will all leave town to have their families in places with more vibrancy.
And they way people have made personal attacks on this makes me equally grumpy. Guru wasn’t the mayor when the first gateway proposal was done around 1995 by the way!
Come on! We have been wanting a gateway centre for at least the past 30 years. We have a chance here to actually do it.