22 August 2011

Architectural Centre encourages Wellingtonians to tell NZTA what they think

Friday (26th August) is the final day for submissions about the Wellington segment of the Roads of National Significance (RoNS) project. "These projects will have a huge impact on the face of Wellington for years to come" said Architectural Centre President, Christine McCarthy. "We need to make sure that Wellingtonians are aware of the proposals, and that they tell NZTA what they think."

"There are many issues at stake" McCarthy continued, "Does Wellington want a state highway through Memorial Park? Do they want a flyover? Do they want the Basin to remain an island dislocated from the city? Whether or not these things happen will depend on whether or not Wellingtonians tell the NZTA what they want for the future of their city. It's very important that people have their say, and it's important that we think beyond the NZTA options."

The Architectural Centre has proposed an alternative to the NZTA flyover scheme for the Basin Reserve. "We believe that our alternative: Option X, will give a better result for Wellington." said Guy Marriage, Immediate Past President of the Centre "Option X has no flyover, and gives Wellington more parks. Option X provides safer cycling and pedestrian routes, which is especially important in this area because of the large number of schools and school children."

While the Architectural Centre is promoting Option X because they think this is a better option than the NZTA scheme, the organisation stresses that the most important thing is that people put in submissions so the NZTA knows what Wellingtonians want.

"Our city is important to Wellingtonians - just remember what we did in order to get a vibrant waterfront." Marriage noted "The Basin Reserve area is a key part of Wellington's future growth, and its redesign needs to consider wider issues than just transport."

McCarthy agreed: "This isn't just about transport. It's about the design of nationally significant places, it's about what we want the shape of our city to be, and it's about the actively choosing the quality of the environment we live in."

There is a public meeting about Option X at Mt Cook School Hall, Tory St, at 7pm tonight. A model of Option X will be available for the public to see.

Information about Option X can be found at: http://architecture.org.nz/basin/
Information about the NZTA scheme can be found at: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/projects/basin-reserve/

ENDS

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