Editorial: Speak up now on development

OPINION: Speak now or forever hold your peace! That's the call to Picton and Havelock residents ahead of a series of meetings tonight and tomorrow to discuss the future development of the towns and their surrounds.

The meetings are part of the first stage for Marlborough District Council-appointed planning consultants Urbanismplus in creating an urban design plan for northern Marlborough, including Havelock, Picton and Sounds communities.

This is the perfect opportunity for residents in these areas to have some input into how the towns will develop and grow.

A similar project was carried out for Blenheim last year when several good ideas (and some not-so-good ones) were formulated.

Picton councillor Cliff Bowers is calling on the town's residents to get involved and attend the meetings. He says those people who tend to sit in the background and complain about things have the perfect opportunity to come forward and have some input into the project.

Mr Bowers says many people seem to have anopinion from the couch, or they grizzle in the background, but when they have the opportunity to do something about it they're not there and when the people who have the guts to do something actually do it ... they get "attacked by the couch-sitters who didn't get off their butts in the first place".

Some of the issues likely to come up for discussion at the Picton meeting are the town's library and improved signage for passengers disembarking the ferries. Other topics that could be discussed are the future of the skateboard park and the Waitohi Domain, cycle lanes between Picton and Waikawa and whether more money needs to be spent on walking tracks in the area.

Issues Havelock residents will possibly be looking at include carparks, increasing attractions, beautification projects and better signage.

Havelock residents have already done some planning for their future. The Havelock Vision 2020 group came up with a wide range of ideas for improvements at a public meeting in August last year.

These ideas are likely to play a major part in tonight's discussions.

There is sometimes a fear that ideas put forward at meetings like these may be scoffed at and ignored. In this case it seems these fears would be unfounded and hopefully all Picton and Havelock residents with an interest in their town will go along to the meetings and help shape the future of the region.

Tonight's meeting in the Havelock Town Hall and tomorrow night's meeting at Waitohi Rugby Clubrooms, Dublin St start at 7pm.

Be there and have your say or forever hold your peace.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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