By Parking an Ambulance at the Bottom of the Cliff

 

Auckland Council has finally respond to the violence issues which are plaguing West Auckland at the moment. Council’s solution? Send five researches to Henderson town centre to as one person finely put it:

Stuff explains

Council respond to West Auckland violence

SIMON DAY Last updated 12:09 23/09/2014

In response to a string of violence incidents the Auckland Council will put five research staff in the Henderson town centre as it works with police to improve community safety in the area.

The research phase of the new Henderson Safer Town Centre Plan is part of the council and police’s effort to target hot spots in Auckland.

Extra police already patrol the town centre and the Henderson-Massey Local Board is funding CCTV for the area.

Board chair Vanessa Neeson says the plan will include building stronger partnerships for a safer community, better town design with safer public spaces, addressing drug and alcohol problems and reducing the risk factors that lead to crime.

The community was shocked by four killings in three weeks in the Henderson-Massey local board area earlier this year.

Farhat Malik and her daughter Sidra Malik were stabbed to death in their home in Ranui on May 20. Two days later Josh Roach was killed in a shootout in the same neighbourhood.

Dairy owner Arun Kumar died after being stabbed in his shop on June 10. All the deaths were within 5 kilometres of each other.

Millie Elder-Holmes’ boyfriend Connor Morris died after being attacked in a fight in Massey on 3 August.

————

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/10533652/Council-respond-to-West-Auckland-violence

 

So Council is effectively parking an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff rather than trying to actually prevent people from going over the cliff in the first place. Just a note that West Auckland liquor selling is controlled through The Trusts and can not be sold in supermarkets like else where in Auckland. Yet we seem to have a high related alcohol issue in West Auckland (probably comparatively more so than South Auckland now).

In discussions about Henderson it was noted that it and the wider West Auckland area in comparison to its Southern Auckland cousin have had 25 years of rapid infill housing development but no community building what so ever to a large enough scale that would bind the wider community together (Manukau, Manurewa and Papakura are examples of areas that do bind communities together). That community building can also be focused around churches as well which South and even Isthmus Auckland have a few of that act as strong central binders to their communities.

 

What to do with Henderson

Well sending researchers out is a waste of time as the Local Board and the wider community can tell what Henderson’s needs in a more prompt fashion that is needed.

One idea that caught my attention was this in taking the cars out of the Henderson Town Centre core area:

 

Note: I think was mentioned that the grade separated road crossing would be move further south to Dora Street (edge of the map) to avoid the station and historic station building where the proposed crossing (red) is.

 

Bryce’s proposal is one way of getting cars out of the core of the Centre and flipping the place into something more pro people and hospitable rather than the car dominated inhospitable mess it is now like Papakura Town Centre.

I also see the Henderson-Massey Local Board have picked up on it and might very well want to run with it. If they do – YAY!

 

In the end though it comes down what I said in July to the Auckland Development Committee which can be seen in these two posts:

Auckland Development Committee Agenda Up, Also Giving a Presentation

From the Auckland Development Committee [Updated]

 

In that Committee I gave a presentation pushing for Metropolitan Centre Master Plans with Henderson’s being done in the second half of next year after the Manukau City Centre Super Metropolitan area was to be done first. The Committee replied that the Spatial Priorities would cover the aspects given in my presentation in getting the areas developed. While Manukau and Papakura are rated spatial priorities in the draft 2015-2025 Long Term Plan, Henderson is not and would most likely have to wait five to ten years for its turn.

Presentation

 

The Spatial Priorities 

 

 

And with this bubbling away in the West at the moment (Is the City Centre Revamps at the Expense of the West) and especially around Point Four the community won’t be happy unless something substantial comes their way (rightfully):

4) South Auckland will continue to bubble away and develop on her own accord regardless of the LTP and National’s new term. West Auckland however, has sent a rather big warning with the West and Isthmus Party Voting National even in traditional Labour strong holds. The West is not happy and sees little faith in the Left at Central Level. This can make its way down to Local Level especially those who reside in New Lynn and Henderson (and I know who the Ward Councillors are for those areas). My most controversial point is this: Unless the West sees some serious cash coming its way in the LTP even at the expense of the City Centre the 2016 Local Elections out West just got interesting.

(Source: Where Next?)

 

We await with bated breath to see if the Council through the 2015-2025 Long Term Plan do give some love to the West…