The Stalinist Wellington City Council

Is there no limit to the central planning the Wellington City Council insists on imposing on us?

Bad enough to discover last year that the reason we have no shopping malls in Wellington, is because the Council has banned them. They don’t want competition for Lampton Quay. But their stalinist dictates go further:

Look at this article in the Dominion Post by City Councillor Andy Foster:

In the case of Rongotai, we propose that this should continue to be an area of mixed uses, including light industrial, services such as motels, and some retail, particularly “big- box” stores.

One thing the council is clear on is that we don’t want Rongotai to develop into another town centre. The Kilbirnie town centre is within walking distance, and the council has invested much public money in facilities such as the regional aquatic centre, community centre, library, and council housing to serve the eastern and southern suburbs.

These facilities work because they are in and around a town centre that has a strong retail core (supermarkets and high-street stores) and are easy to get to by public transport, walking and by car.

Long-standing international precedent shows that if we create another competing town centre in Rongotai, we are likely to undermine the viability of the Kilbirnie and Miramar town centres.

Arrrggh. So the Council has decided Kilbirnie and Miramar can get big shops, but Rongotai and Seatoun can not? I’ve got a better solution – let every business decide where they want to be located, and let the public decide if they will shop there.

This is why we are planning to carefully consider any proposals for “town centre uses” such as supermarkets and department stores in Rongotai.

For fuck’s sake. So the Council is sayign yes you can have a big Warehouse in Rongotai, but not a New World? They should butt out and let consumers have a choice.