Businesses hate uncertainty, so it’s good to see the CGT off the table, at least for the time we have our MP Jacinda Ardern leading the Coalition Government.
Businesses hate uncertainty, so it’s good to see the CGT off the table, at least for the time we have our MP Jacinta Ardern leading the Coalition Government.
At the local level, the uncertainty associated with urban redevelopment is presenting its own challenges as was evident from the literal one-sided debate at St Helier’s given the well-documented no-show from Auckland Transport (AT).
From GLBA’s perspective we cannot understand what AT’s logic is in seeking to ignite another flash point without first addressing the very critical issues it has created and needs to resolve in our very own West Lynn village.
It is now almost two years since the redevelopment was started in West Lynn, in fact we still have the orange grate over an open drain on Richmond Road to prove the disastrous nature of the previous project – a visible legacy to all that was wrong with the project (and which of course is now gathering plenty of weeds).
But what we do know is that it is absolutely critical to keep an open line of dialogue with AT – if we can’t have free and frank discussions on issues then how are we ever going to affect real change within our communities?
It is fair to say that businesses in Grey Lynn are somewhat agnostic in that we believe all modes of transport should have equally safe access to our business district. For us the key question is how we do this without compromising car parking which is the life blood of these smaller villages.
Given this fact, our businesses cannot wait five to 10 years for a comprehensive cycling network to be developed.
There needs to be a systematic plan, and that plan needs to be communicated transparently to everyone so we know what the big picture looks like and from which real consultation can take place.
A further point of concern is the time it takes for any redevelopment to occur, and while Franklin Road is a particularly good example of what can be achieved with a substantial budget attached, most projects are not going to have the resources thrown at them that this route has.
Compounding things is that even with unconstrained budgets the big issue, as we are hearing from downtown businesses, relates to the length of the associated disruption and the lack of economic redress being afforded to smaller businesses.
While the council does proactively address the concerns of some large businesses, our understanding is that it is the smaller businesses which have suffered, with all of their claims in regards to this disruption being rejected by AT.
Without this economic redress it is incumbent that when embarking on these projects, that AT is open and very clear in their communications and, above all, they minimise disruption to businesses.
What is interesting is that we have been told there is no economic analysis of these projects’ impact on businesses nor any before or after studies as to whether the projects are delivering value.
What we do know for a fact is that the aborted GreyLynn/West Lynn project has stripped value out of the area both from a community and business perspective.
What we don’t know is whether the concrete greening of the likes of Mount Albert village has delivered value because again this doesn’t seem to be fundamental to the project.
We merely make these points because our desire is to see a very Grey Lynn-centric solution to the proposed redevelopment of West Lynn village and the surrounding area.
On a much brighter note, the GLBA is actively delivering on the Grey Lynn project with a number of initiatives about to get underway and on that note we are pleased to announce the appointment of
a communications professional who will be assisting us in ensuring we deliver some of our key objectives.
Our clear aspiration is to encourage the 3000 businesses that operate within district 1021 to join the GLBA and as such it is incumbent on us to show how doing so creates value for them – so watch this space