This draft annual plan is the first since the Council signed up to its vision for a
carbon neutral Wellington.
That vision is ambitious, and achieving it will require effort from the Council,
central government, the business sector, and the wider community.
In this plan, we’re taking some small but potentially significant steps towards
carbon neutrality.
We’re investigating some options for turning the Southern Landfill into a
producer of sustainable energy. One option is development of a wind farm
within the landfill. Another is through the possible conversion of sewage sludge
into electricity or LPG by installing a bioreactor.
We’re also investigating how Wellingtonians use transport and make transport
choices, so we can determine how to encourage more sustainable options such
as cycling and taking the train or bus.
And we’re taking steps to encourage more sustainable building practices, such as
use of solar water heating and better insulation.
These are a few of the options under consideration in this year’s plan.
We’re also proposing other new initiatives such as enhancements to make
Courtenay Place more vibrant and safer, boosting online promotion of
Wellington tourism, installing artificial turf on one of the city’s well-used
sports fields, funding the National Children’s Arts Festival and an annual Pasifika
Festival, protecting native plants and wildlife by dealing with weeds and animal
pests, and looking into the development of an orchestral recording studio which
could – among other things – be used for film soundtracks.
These proposals are additional to our ongoing work programme, which
includes key infrastructure such as the city’s water supply and transport and
drainage networks, provision of parks and green spaces, plus funding of a
wide range of events, recreational and social services, and work to guide the
city’s development. As always, by far our biggest areas of spending are on
infrastructure such as the water, drainage and transport networks.
This draft plan is about building on the city’s strengths, and on the vision set
out in our 2006–16 long-term plan: a vision of Wellington as an affordable
internationally competitive city.
We look forward to hearing your comments.
KERRY PRENDERGAST