Map Details Last Minute Change of Plan to Transmission Gully Route - Locals Discover
Takapu Valley residents have uncovered a last minute plan by Wellington City Council and the New Zealand Transport
Authority, to 'throw Porirua City and Hutt City under the bus' with 11th hour Transmission Gully plan changes that will see the motorway diverted straight through the Takapu Valley community, with minimal time for consultation or appeal.
Takapu Valley residents found out last week that NZTA have plans to build a new motorway through many homes and farms,
to link Grenada North to Transmission Gully bypassing traffic around Porirua.
"The Wellington City Council is blindsiding the community, by attempting to take the freight and warehousing industry
from Hutt City by stealth with major implications for businesses, industry and livelihoods in the Hutt Valley." said
Richard Brown, spokesperson for concerned Takapu Valley locals.
Takapu residents discovered the 11th hour change of plan when New Zealand Transport Authority (NZTA) officials
apparently accidentally left a map which illustrates the change of plans, while visiting a resident.
Further research has uncovered an unusual agreement signed between the Wellington Mayor and NZTA on 20 Dec 2013, just
before Christmas last year, explicitly stating the goal to:
‘Strengthen Wellington’s [City] strategic location as a freight hub by improving the efficiency of freight movements to,
through and beyond Wellington.’
Mayor Celia Wade-Brown said “This Accord enables us to remain inside the tent for important transport programmes and
projects6”, and “6this agreement is a sign Wellington is open for business.”
Once the Petone to Grenada North road is finished, by linking Grenada North to Transmission Gully via the proposed
Takapu Valley motorway, Wellington City will have the space, location and link to develop Grenada North into the new
logistics hub. This sudden new Takapu Valley motorway we’ve discovered is key to making it happen. “It will bleed Hutt
City dry of businesses and rates if WCC gets its way with this proposal” said Mr Brown, “I’d be worried if I was the
Hutt City Mayor”.
"No wonder there are so many closed door last minute meetings. It's a sudden last minute move to announce bulldozing of
Takapu Valley. This is a killer move by the Wellington Mayor, a total blind-siding of her neighbouring councils," said
Mr Brown.
"The new Grenada to Transmission Gully road (Takapu Valley) has suddenly appeared overnight despite Transmission Gully
planning of 20 years; its secretive, it's weird and looks like it’s extremely rushed to approve it before the election."
Locals are understandably concerned that a major new road appears in no public planning or strategy documents and is now
being rushed through urgently. “They’re restarting their plans that were stopped by commonsense in 1990 by the
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Helen Hughes; they’re being underhand” said Mr Brown.
"So, what are they really up to?” asked Mr Brown, “It looks like Wellington City Council has done a quick and dirty deal
to ram a new motorway through Takapu Valley in order to take Hutt City business and rates. We suspect the transport
lobby is behind this as well".
PORIRUA CITY WON'T FARE MUCH BETTER THAN HUTT CITY
"The suddenly proposed Takapu Valley motorway will cut the Porirua City off from Transmission Gully traffic flow, option
D on the secret map clearly shows this. NZTA have said is their preferred option". “Porirua Mayor Nick Leggett would
have to be very concerned; it's something Porirua Mayors have fought against for at least 20 years.”
WELLINGTON SUPER CITY NEEDED NOW
"It looks like Wellington City Council could be stealing from the Hutt and Porirua Councils, for their own ends. Clearly
Wellington Region urgently needs a super city council to put an end to this madness - that's the only conclusion we can
make from the evidence available"
Takapu Valley residents are upset and angry about the lack of consultation with them, the community who will be directly
affected by such a change of plan. They’re also angry that they’re being pitted against Tawa Residents who could lose
their homes in option C. “We feel for them too”.
Notes:
• Takapu Valley, near Tawa, is one of the last remaining close knit rural communities in Wellington City. Some
farms go back to the 1800’s and have been in continuous family ownership.
• WCC – NZTA Xmas agreement announcement: (http://wellington.govt.nz/your-council/news/2013/12/wellingtoncity-and-nzta-to-sign-accord)
• Transmission Gully was planned and consulted over 20 years. Grenada to Transmission Gully (Takapu valley) will
have a mere 6 weeks consultation period with an urgent decision timetabled before the general election.
• There is no reference to the new Grenada to Transmission Gully road (Takapu Valley) in any planning document
publicly available. Why is such a large roading project invisible to the public and being created suddenly without
strategic planning?
• The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) Helen Hughes' Report into Transmission Gully
recommended that Takapu Valley be saved from roading, hence recommending the current Linden/Kenepuru start to TG.
• Following the PCE report, the Greater Wellington Regional Council (WRC at the time) Report further recommended
protection from Transmission Gully for Takapu Valley for environmental and social reasons, recommending the current
Linden/Kenepuru start to TG.
• The Transmission Gully start was moved to Linden because of these reports, NZTA are now looking to build both,
with no recourse to previous reports.
• DomPost reported a closed door briefing of WCC councilors on the 4th Feb. The elected representatives of the
Tawa Community Board on the Wellington City Council were excluded from the briefing.
• No key stakeholders to the Petone – Grenada road have been shown the secret map despite working on this for a
number of years.
• Over 10yrs consultation for transmission gully. Residents will be given 6 weeks, from a standing start, to fight
their case to save their farms, homes, and livelihoods.
ENDS