I read this article in the ODT of 10 May 2017 covering the intention of the City planners to require relocatable housing in South Dunedin, with interest.
The views expressed and statements made by Mr Geoff Thomas are entirely correct and I suspect honed on many years of relevant experience. I have expressed these very same views in my capacity as the chair of the Greater South Dunedin Group. I thought these ill considered responses in the 2GP document would see South Dunedin become a trailer park or aging substandard housing destined to decay along with the area itself because to invest in it further would be unwise. Whilst I can acknowledge that it is not the intention of the City's planner to squash the area, that is exactly what will happen. The City needs to carefully consider what the residents sensible economic and social response will be to such risk averse, ill considered escapism as practiced by authors of these proposals. South Dunedin is an inner city redevelopment opportunity of enormous value to the City of Dunedin. These proposals, if implemented will have consequences Planner Paul Freeland hasn't even begun to consider. Planning measures do nothing to address the issues we face and I fully support the view that continuing with the provision of the engineering services we have servicing the area and build upon these as the opportunity and need arises. Killing the area with regulatory stupidity is not one of fixes.
- Ray Macleod
