District council systems frustrate trust as Grey Street project drags on

default

The Tai Uehā Grey Street project is behind schedule and Tairāwhiti Adventure Trust blames Gisborne District Council.

The trust’s Amy Spence, speaking to the Gisborne Regional Transport Committee hearing on the Regional Land Transport Plan (RLTP), said the Tai Uehā Grey Street Streets for People project fitted within the highest ranking of the plan and was funded.

“We are not convinced council systems and process will allow priorities and objectives of the plan to be met.”

The trust had been working on the project for over a year with “delay after delay from council processes”.

How could such an important project not be fully supported and “be allowed to happen in peace”?

There were other trust initiatives which could not be activated until Tai Uehā was installed at Grey Street.

“If we want a safe, sustainable and resilient network, council needs to be bold and support others who are willing to lead charge and make things happen.”

Ms Spence said the project, in its current state, consisted of paint and a new layout.

“Let’s not forget, recent events have reminded us that paint on the road can be important to people.”

Trust chair Haimona Ngata said the project had been acclaimed by experts overseas and in New Zealand.

One frustration was dealing with various council personnel instead of one central contact who could integrate with community organisations.

“I don’t understand how a community trust of volunteers, who built two assets in under a year, can deliver and activate those assets, but council can’t deliver on a temporary road in a year-and-a-half, and which is fully funded and backed by central government.”

Trust representative Carrie White said the trust had consulted with the public and had designed the project.

Since handling the project over to council there had been regular delays.

Some were not council’s fault, such as — in one case — a 16-week delay in delivery of materials.

The road “was supposed to go down in early December, got delayed a week, got delayed a month, another week, now we just got delayed another week . . . it’s constant.”