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25ththJan July - 31 July 2014 2017 27 3rdstFeb
FIRST ON THE STREET
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No No 434 610
LAKES WEEKLY BULLETIN
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www.lwb.co.nz • buy • accommodation • sell • information • jobs • enquiries@lwb.co.nz
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Once in a lifetime opportunities typically come around, erm, once in a lifetime. Like the opportunity to re-think the way our community functions through the spaces which connect us. The opportunity to have a say in how our town centre looks, feels and operates. A chance to shape our town for this generation and the next. The Queenstown Town Centre Masterplan is that special opportunity. The QLDC has spent something like three quarters of a million dollars on this. A lot of money for paperwork and concepts that for the most part are nothing new. Most of the options floated about in presentation flyers and up for discussion at drop in sessions around the Wakatipu are ideas that have been in the pipeline for a decade or more. But this time, something might actually come of it. We have until the end of the month jump onto the council website and have our say about the Queenstown Town Centre. Ratepayer or visitor, long-term residents or newbies – anyone can fill in the form. It takes 15 minutes tops. Queenstown is a special place and it’s been loved by many locals and visitors for over 155 years. But the last 5 - 10 years in particular have seen the district grow at a very fast pace. Queenstown is experiencing a few growing pains and the CBD has begun to lag behind. It’s not fit for purpose today, let alone the next 30 years.
Melanie Bracewell, Rhys Mathewson, Steve Hughes and Skycity Marketing & Promotions Manager Sophia Shortcliffe at Comedy Gold at Skycity on Saturday. (Photo: Jodi Walters)
There’s issues like public transport and parking, lack of commercial variation (i.e. booking centres opposite booking centres), accessibility and the way we interact with our town centre which need to be addressed before we are prepared for the decades ahead. We need our CBD to be our Centre and not a tired relic to be navigated and avoided, a wasteland of bored tourists waiting between activities. Money, or lack of it, is often a big factor in the degeneration of town centres and communities but in Queenstown’s case I think it’s our lack of direction that’s holding us back. This is an affluent area with a bright future; we just need to decide what that future looks like. What pushes your buttons? Is it the lack of parking or the traffic on your way home? Do you crave more co-working spaces and community centres? Would you like to see more public art, or do you simply want to reserve the right to have a beer on the beach (with a recycling bin at hand)? Now’s your chance to have your say and help shape the future of Queenstown’s Town Centre. A once in a life time opportunity. Bethany G Rogers Geordie off-shore
LATINO PARTY SAT 29TH AL RENT IES T R ROPE
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Showers, Possibly Occasional Rain. Northerlies Falling as Snow
JOHN RAVENS WEATHER Last week John was 96% correct
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