Marlborough council sets up sub-committee to decide road names
4 Apr, 2021 02:19 AM
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Several Marlborough councillors last year criticised Rose Manor s new road names for having colonial cringe . Photo / Chloe Ranford, LDR
Several Marlborough councillors last year criticised Rose Manor s new road names for having colonial cringe . Photo / Chloe Ranford, LDR
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By: Chloe Ranford
A new group will be formed to screen road names in Marlborough after councillors criticised developers twice last year for choosing names that were too English.
Councillors first butted heads in March last year after a developer asked to put down English-themed street names, some of which were criticised for reeking of colonial cringe .
The council also used the land subdivision account to fund 29 other projects this financial year, for a total of $3.2m. This included $78,000 for the region’s rural skate parks and $715,000 for the region’s school and reserve playgrounds. Lyall said council protocols recommended playgrounds or recreational areas be put down within 500 metres of each other. The nearest existing playground to Rose Manor was about 480m away, at Rutledge Reserve, off on Rutledge Drive. Design plans showed the reserve could have a “large, open space for free play”, a shelter made of concrete and rustic timber, and a “woodland walk” track behind the playground.
The Marlborough District Council has bought a developer s green space with funds from the developer s own pocket.
The Marlborough District Council has used fees collected from a housing subdivision to buy the subdivision s reserve.
Photo: LDR / Chloe Ranford
A rope bridge and woodland walk could be key attractions at a new reserve in Blenheim s Rose Manor estate, off Old Renwick Rd, bought by the council for just over $1 million.
It was paid for by fees charged to developers, used to offset the cost of linking sections to services and cover growth issues , which would otherwise be covered by ratepayers.
Council property and community facilities manager Jamie Lyall said this included new playgrounds, like the one the council planned to put down at its new Rose Manor reserve.