Latest news with #LocalDemocracyReporting
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Bar allowed to operate after appeal to inspector
A bid to prevent a town centre bar from operating has been overturned by a government inspector. Hartlepool Borough Council had rejected an application for a bar at The Intro, on York Road, in November due to concerns from councillors over a potential increase in crime and noise. The venue, which has since rebranded as Screams Court 2.0, had already started operating as a coffee bar and live music venue without permission a month before the decision, when it relocated to the York Road premises from Hartlepool Marina. The Planning Inspectorate ruled the venue would have "an acceptable effect" on the living conditions of neighbours in terms of noise. A report added the development would not "unacceptably increase the potential for crime", reports the Local Democracy Reporting service. In July last year, a licensing application was approved to give the York Road site permission to sell alcohol and play live and recorded music. It also imposed conditions such as installing a noise limiter. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Bar appeal after permission to open rejected Bar operating without permission could face action Hartlepool Borough Council
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Hartlepool bar allowed to operate after appeal to inspector
A bid to prevent a town centre bar from operating has been overturned by a government Borough Council had rejected an application for a bar at The Intro, on York Road, in November due to concerns from councillors over a potential increase in crime and venue, which has since rebranded as Screams Court 2.0, had already started operating as a coffee bar and live music venue without permission a month before the decision, when it relocated to the York Road premises from Hartlepool Planning Inspectorate ruled the venue would have "an acceptable effect" on the living conditions of neighbours in terms of noise. A report added the development would not "unacceptably increase the potential for crime", reports the Local Democracy Reporting July last year, a licensing application was approved to give the York Road site permission to sell alcohol and play live and recorded also imposed conditions such as installing a noise limiter. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Otago Daily Times
Report notes staffing shortage for emergency management
Southland's emergency management service is facing serious staffing issues with just seven staff in place for a population of more than 100,000. Recent reports have highlighted a raft of issues for Civil Defence in the area, including a lack of dedicated roles impacting "already stretched" staff and missed calls following the March earthquake. Staffing levels have not shifted since 2018, even though the population, workload and frequency of responses increased, a report noted. "As expectations grow at the national level and climate and disaster risks intensify, continuing to operate with insufficient, non-specialist staffing is not sustainable," it said. There was an "urgent" need for more resources as the region struggled to meet both local and national expectations. Emergency Management Southland group manager Aly Curd said her staff had now been asked to explore options for addressing resource gaps through the 2026-27 annual plan. She also spoke to issues relating to the March 25 earthquake off the coast of Southland. While there was no significant fallout from that event, a range of challenges came to light in a report including missed calls due to the duty phone not having an overflow function. The phone was the first point of contact during an emergency and would be upgraded next month, Ms Curd told Local Democracy Reporting. There is a 75% probability of an Alpine Fault earthquake in the next 50 years according to a recent study led by Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington. The report also highlighted an issue with the Tsunami Expert Panel requiring 40 minutes to convene — delaying official risk assessment. Ms Curd said the time it took the national advisory group to convene emphasised the importance of self-evacuation. "That is why we focus on the 'long or strong, get gone' message in local risk education." Emergency Management Southland received a tough review earlier in the year on the back of its response to Gore flooding in 2023 and Bluecliffs erosion in 2024. Key issues included staffing levels, communication, and a lack of process for declaring an emergency. It hopes to address its staffing issues through a two-phase process, starting with new training and recovery positions over the next two years. The second phase will look to expand the team to 11 people. • LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
1News
5 days ago
- Business
- 1News
'Huge impact': Residents worry over traffic from new Tauranga development
Residents of a Tauranga suburb are concerned a new housing development will have a 'huge impact' on traffic that is already 'horrendous'. The residents want a second access added to the planned 13-hectare Pukemapu subdivision in Ōhauiti to alleviate their concerns, but Tauranga City Council says doing so would be prohibitively expensive. The new subdivision will be built on land that slopes down from the Rowesdale subdivision towards Pukemapu Rd, and an existing Rowesdale Drive house will be demolished to build the only access road. The developer Carrus said it was unknown how many homes would be built but the council website said about 200 were planned. Kerrie, who did not want her surname published, lives near Rowesdale Drive and said she and some other neighbours wanted the subdivision's developers to build a second access to Pukemapu Rd, which connects to Oropi Rd, to alleviate traffic pressures through Ōhauiti. ADVERTISEMENT 'It'll have a huge impact on the traffic. The traffic's already horrendous. 'It's a wider community that's affected. It's not just us, it's all of Ōhauiti and probably some of Welcome Bay as well. 'The developer should have to put in that [second] access point.' The area also didn't have schools or amenities like a supermarket, she said. Kerrie said the council had told her access to the subdivision was the developers' responsibility. Tauranga City Council bought two properties on Rowesdale Drive in Ōhauiti to enable access to the land behind for development. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting) 'The council is telling us we need to fight this with the developer to get the new road put in. It's nothing to do with council.' ADVERTISEMENT The council bought two properties at the end of Rowesdale Drive in 2020 to enable access to the Pukemapu land. These properties had covenants that prohibited them being used to enable development of the adjoining land. The council needed agreement from the other 21 property owners who were under the same covenant to change it to provide access to land behind. The alternative was to use a Public Works Act acquisition or High Court process to change the covenant. Talks with owners started in December 2021. The property owners obtained legal representation and an agreement on compensation was reached with the council in January 2023. The covenants on the two Rowesdale Drive properties were revoked, enabling access and services to the developable land. The covenants on other Rowesdale subdivision properties stayed the same. Rowesdale Drive residents are worried about the extra traffic that would be created by the new development. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting) ADVERTISEMENT Kerrie was also upset the council used ratepayer money to buy the homes. 'I just thought how unfair it was, our ratepayer money being used to buy two houses that they're just going to bowl down. They've used our ratepayer money to pay out [compensation to] those 21 properties.' Council strategy, growth and governance general manager Christine Jones said the council paid $2.33 million for the two properties but this would be paid back by the developer. Only one of the two homes would need to be demolished for the new road and the other house could be resold, she said. The total compensation for the 21 properties was $3.16m but the individual amounts were confidential, Jones said. The council paid two-thirds and the developer paid one-third but would pay the council share as development happened, she said. Developers Carrus and Classic Group were working together on the development and controlled most of the developable land, Jones said. ADVERTISEMENT Council strategy, growth and governance general manager Christine Jones (Source: Local Democracy Reporting) Council investigations showed Rowesdale Drive was the most suitable access point, she said. Multiple access points were preferable but not possible because of constraints and the costs involved, Jones said. The Pukemapu Rd option was not feasible and had a prohibitive cost, she said. Traffic congestion was a 'significant issue' during weekday-morning peak-hour but outside this the network generally performed well in Ōhauiti, Jones said. Carrus managing director Scott Adams (Source: NZME) (Source: NZME) 'While additional traffic will have effects on the community, the shortage of housing in the city also has significant impacts and this area is one of few options to make a meaningful addition to the city's housing supply in a relatively short timeframe.' ADVERTISEMENT The council agreed better schooling options were needed in the area and had been engaging with the Ministry of Education for some years, she said. 'We are also aware of the lack of retail and commercial offering in the suburb and plan to investigate this further as part of our upcoming review of commercial and industrial zones across the city.' The council was also considering investigating other access options for Ōhauiti, Jones said. Carrus managing director Scott Adams said they were working through options and timeframes for the development. 'We don't have a workable subdivision plan as yet.' Adams said it was unknown yet how many homes would be built. The land had been zoned residential for about 25 years, he said. ADVERTISEMENT Residential growth took up most of the water and wastewater capacity that was allocated for the project, and no infrastructure planning or upsizing had occurred since despite the residential zoning, Adams said. Having multiple transport connections to the site would be awesome, he said. 'The reality is traffic congestion is a citywide problem, and every motorist in the city endures it daily.' In his view: 'Transport planning has been neglected in Tauranga for decades.' Investment was needed to invest in highway network upgrades across the city to allow traffic to flow better, Adams said. - LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
BBC News
27-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Green light for Herefordshire garden centre's riverside cafe
A Herefordshire garden centre can now install a riverside cafe after being granted planning Mills in Island Terrace, Kington, adjoins the River Arrow and applied to build a cafe, replacing a "falling down" chicken shed on an islet in the 100-year-old timber-framed cafe will open up new areas to customers while being wheelchair-accessible and including a disabled toilet and baby-changing facilities, the centre Council officers objected over changes to the local landscape and concerns about the conservation area, but Kington Town Council considered it would be "an asset to the town" and residents were supportive. The centre installed a shop and car park in 2019 and the cafe will be open alongside the firm's director Simon Turner said: "We are now hoping to break ground over the summer."It's a beautiful spot and we think people will really like sitting out in it." This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
