Consultation On Mill Road Corridor Enters Its Final Weeks

Positive response to unique chance to give feedback on route Information day to be held in town centre 8 February Consultation closes 15 February

Papakura District Council is urging residents to make the most of the current consultation period and have their say on options for the proposed eastern arterial route, known as the Mill Road Corridor.

A series of public information days in December 2009 provided information about the project, and the Council says it was pleased with attendance numbers and the amount of informed comment in feedback from residents at the time.

Papakura Mayor Calum Penrose says the Mill Road is an essential part of the regional road network and is noted by the Auckland Regional Transport Authority (ARTA) in its Regional Arterial Road Plan. The current consultation period is a key opportunity for residents to have their say and to identify any issues with possible routes.

“We are in the early stages of planning for this project, and we want to know what people think. By consulting between December and January, feedback from residents can be gathered and considered before major decisions are made. We want to know what people think, what issues they see and what they would prefer the corridor to look like,” he said.

Mr Penrose stressed that no decision has been made about where the route will go.

“But we have had an excellent response to the early information meetings, plenty of people came along and people asked lots of detailed questions, which shows they are thinking carefully about how best we can make this happen.”

Coming up in early February is one further information day, to be held at Accent Point in the Papakura Town Centre.

“If people missed the initial three information days, I would urge them to come along to Accent Point on February 8 to hear for themselves what is proposed and to ask questions of the project team.”

Mr Penrose said the Mill Road Corridor is an important link between Drury in the south, Papakura itself and Manukau in the north.

“The Mill Road Corridor will provide an alternative north-south route that meets the needs of the expected growth in this district. It will improve existing roads and intersections, making them easier and safer to use; it will reduce traffic in the vicinity of the Papakura town centre by establishing a viable north-south route for traffic that does not need to enter the town centre; and it will provide better facilities for all road users including pedestrians and cyclists.”

Copies of the information documents, maps and feedback form are available are available from Papakura District Council, 35 Coles Crescent, Papakura; at the Sir Edmund Hillary Library, level four, Accent Point, Papakura; and at the Council’s web site, www.papakura.govt.nz

ENDS

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