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Wednesday 2 February 2011
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Bikewise month rolls into town The bike shed at Tasman District Council headquarters may find itself busier than normal this month as Bike Wise Month clicks into gear. February is Bike Wise Month and Tasman residents are being encouraged to dust off their saddles for a series of biking events and promotions around the region. Funded by the NZ Transport Agency and the Ministry of Health, Bike Wise Month is New Zealand’s annual celebration of the bicycle – invented nearly 200 years ago – and the health, environmental, social and financial benefits cycling uniquely offers. A series of events are planned for Nelson and Tasman throughout Bike Wise Month. They include the annual Go By Bike Day on February 16, where cyclists can get a free breakfast at spots around the region, the Bike Wise business challenge, which 100 TDC staff are participating in and mayoral Challenge ri-des in Nelson, Motueka and Golden Bay. BIKERS: Tasman District Council staff Tama Easton, Pamela White and Diane Penn are biking to work for Bikewise month in For full details go to www.bikewise.co.nz. February. Photo: Andrew Board.
TDC paves way for big box retail Teresa Hattan
The Tasman District Council has paved the way for major business expansion on the eastern side of Lower Queen St in Richmond. The council is keen to get big box businesses into the area, according to Environment and Planning chair Stuart Bryant. The land which was previously rural one has now been re-zoned mixed business
(commercial) after an “in committee” meeting last Thursday. At the meeting, a deferment for servicing across the eastern side of the property was lifted by council, meaning privately owned property can now be sold for commercial use. Big box businesses include shops such as the Warehouse, Harvey Norman and Briscoes. “It’s in the longer plan, not immediate,”
Stuart says. One landowner, Maxwell Clark, says this re-zoning will give property owners certainty over their particular properties. Maxwell and Shona McBride own two properties in this area and have 10.3 hectares of land in total. “It has not been an easy pathway to achieve this outcome, there has been some robust discussions between the landowners and the council,” says Maxwell.
Stuart believes those that were looking for the re-zoning will be very pleased it has happened. Maxwell says both sides have taken a business view of the situation and appreciated the acute shortage of commercial land for development, particularly in Richmond and the Tasman district, but also in the wider Nelson region. A
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