Agenda of Council - Wednesday, 22 February 2023

Council

22 February 2023

Reports

Outram Glen - Facilities Upgrade

Department: Property

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 This report responds to a Council resolution from Annual Plan 22/23 deliberations on 23 May 2022 requesting a report for the Annual Plan 2023/24 on the cost to upgrade the facilities at Outram Glen including the provision of a new toilet and road sealing options.

2 The resolution was in response to a submission from the Mosgiel Taieri Community Board to the 2022/23 draft Annual Plan requesting that Council upgrade facilities at Outram Glen (submission 865958).

3 Staff (Property, Parks and recreation, Transport) have prepared options and costings for a new toilet and road sealing options. Staff have also given options for other facility upgrades Council may wish to consider.

RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Council:

a) Considers options to upgrade the facilities at Outram Glen.

BACKGROUND

4 The development of Outram Glen is listed as Priority 1 within the Mosgiel-Taieri Community Board Community Plan, and the view of the Community Board is that Outram Glen requires improved facilities to accommodate the needs of the many people that visit the site.

5 The Council resolution from 23 May 2022 was:

Moved (Cr. Carmen Houlahan/Cr. Jules Radich):

“That the Council:

Requests a report for the Annual Plan 2023/24 on the cost to upgrade the facilities at Outram Glen including the provision of a new toilet and road sealing options.”

Motion carried (CAPCC/2022/033)

6 Outram Glen is located between Mosgiel and Outram, approximately one kilometre north-east of Outram and is situated on the edge of the Taieri River. It is a popular area over the summer for picnicking and freshwater swimming. Other activities in the area include fishing, jet boating, rafting and horse riding.

7 The Outram Glen to Lee Stream Walk starts from the area and is a popular walk throughout the year. We do not have a counter of people using the Glen, however, anecdotally the Glen is always busy. Department of Conservation (DoC) estimate that from November to April the Department of Conservation (DOC) has recorded an average use of 31 people per day.

8 The Outram Glen area is largely undeveloped. There is unformed legal road, informal turning circle, informal parking either side of the gravel accessway and four-wheel drive access to the riverbed. A concrete block, public toilet facility with two single units is provided.

DISCUSSION

9 Land ownership at Outram Glen is split between four parties - Department of Conservation (DoC), Otago Regional Council (ORC), Dunedin City Council (DCC), and private ownership. Attachment A shows an aerial view of the site and identifies land ownership and location of the toilet.

10 Outram Glen has historically been used by the public for recreation, and there has never been any formal agreements between the four landowners regarding access or the siting of facilities e.g., the toilets are located on ORC land, and the gravel accessway goes across DCC, ORC, DoC and private land.

11 Staff have had informal conversations with landowners over a period of time. Dependant on the decision of Council, staff will work with landowners to formalise agreements on land usage and the siting of facilities where required.

Department of Conservation (DOC) land

12 DoC owns 69 hectares of Local Purpose (Scenic) Reserve land (Reserves Act 1977) that extends from Outram Glen primarily adjoining the Taieri River and Lee Stream.

Otago Regional Council land

13 ORC owns the land adjacent to the accessway. This land was formerly a quarry and is largely overgrown and steep.

14 The current public toilets are located on ORC land and there is no formal agreement between the DCC and the ORC for the occupation of this land.

Dunedin City Council land

15 DCC owns the area of unformed legal road which covers part, but not all, of the gravel accessway into the area.

Private Ownership land

16 A small section of privately owned farmland forms part of the gravel accessway. This is used informally by the public for access.

Current Facilities

Toilets

17 There are two unisex dry vault (long drop) toilets in a small concrete block building. The toilets are old and in poor condition. The toilets are not accessible for people with disabilities.

18 For the past two summers the DCC has provided portaloos at Outram Glen to assist in meeting demand during peak use of the site. The portaloos require weekly servicing and a high volume of effluent suggests that most visitors prefer to use the portaloos rather than the permanent toilets.

19 The toilets, portaloos and surrounding area are subject to significant vandalism on a regular basis.

Road access and car parking

20 There is an unformed legal road that covers most of the gravel accessway into the Glen. Maintenance of the gravel accessway has historically been managed by the Parks and Recreation department and is graded as required.

21 Car parking is informal with vehicles arriving and parking where spaces are available. An informal turning circle has evolved over time at the end of the drive. This is narrow and requires some manoeuvring for turning.

Facilities Upgrade Options

22 In response to the Council resolution staff (Parks, Property, and Transport) have considered and provided high level cost estimates for installing new toilets and road sealing.

23 As per the resolution staff have also considered other opportunities to upgrade the facilities at Outram Glen. These include improving car parking, creating a formal turning circle for vehicles, introducing traffic control measures to improve safety and vehicle flow, and a BBQ.

24 There are potentially other options for upgrading the facilities that Council may wish staff to consider.

New toilets

25 There are no water, sewerage, or electrical services available on the site, and so the best option is a wet vaulted toilet (flushing) it does not require utilities.

Surface treatments

26 The accessway, turning circle and car parking could be improved by using either tar seal, Otta seal or by re-grading the gravel.

27 All surface treatment upgrade options would require re-contouring of the accessway and ongoing maintenance.

28 Council has an extensive network of unsealed roads and decided several years ago not to extend the tar sealed network.

Turning Circle

29 The vehicle turning space at the end of the accessway is narrow and adds to congestion issues during peak times.

30 The creation of a larger formal turning circle would require additional earthworks, drainage and retaining wall as well as associated design fees.

31 Alternatively, the current informal turning circle could be improved by cutting back the surrounding vegetation.

Cost Estimates

32 The high-level cost estimates for upgrade work are as follows;

Facility	Cost Estimate
New Toilets	$255k
Accessway upgrade – Gravel	$30.5k
Accessway upgrade – Otta seal	$40k
Accessway upgrade - Tar seal	$360k
Barbeque (BBQ)	$30k
Creating Turning Circle	$537k

33 There is $2.05m in the current ten-year plan for new public toilets. The proposed locations, which were presented to Council in 2021, are shown in Attachment B. Plans are currently underway for the Changing Places, Central City (Exchange area), and St Leonards.

34 Staff advised Council in 2021 that the programme will be reviewed regularly to assess that it still meets current community needs as Dunedin grows and develops in the next ten years.

35 The demand at Outram Glen suggests it would be appropriate to reprioritise a new toilet at Outram Glen into the existing 10 Year Plan budget for new public toilets.

36 The creation of a turning circle including earthworks and retaining wall would be subject to agreement with landowners as it would sit outside of DCC land.

37 Parks and Recreation will also consider the feasibility of installing a BBQ into the existing 10 Year Plan budget.

OPTIONS

38 Based on staff considerations and costings, two options are presented to Council for consideration.

39 A “do nothing” option is possible but has not been included as improvements are required and Option One can be delivered within existing budgets.

40 A tar sealed accessway is possible for either of the options presented but has not been included because of the Councils position to not increase the sealed network.

41 Both options would require discussions and the agreement with the landowners.

Option One – Install new toilets and BBQ, and re-grade and re surface the accessway with either a gravel or Otta seal.

42 This option proposes building a new toilet at Outram Glen at cost of $255k, and installation of a BBQ at a cost of $30k

43 This option creates an improved surface for the road accessway at a cost of $30.5k for gravel or $40k for Otta seal.

44 The programme and budget for new public toilets will be reprioritised to include new toilets at Outram Glen.

45 The cost of the BBQ, re-grading and the surface treatment of the accessway can be funded from existing budgets.

Advantages

· Responds to the Community Board’s request and Community Board Plan.

· Does not add any cost to existing Council budgets.

· Delivers public toilets to a standard that meets community expectations.

· Addresses accessibility issues of the current toilets.

· Is consistent with existing Council policy position on not extending the tar seal network.

Disadvantages

· No formal turning circle, which does not address some of the congestion issues.

· Outram Glen is subject to regular and significant vandalism which may result in regular repairs for toilets and BBQ.

Zero Carbon Considerations

46 This option has been assessed as having the strongest alignment with the Zero Carbon Policy.

City-wide

47 The proposal to redevelop the Outram Glen area has been assessed as not having a significant impact on city emissions as it is unlikely to result in a significant change in the number of trips to the destination.

DCC

48 This option eliminates the need for ongoing provision of portaloos (and associated transport).

Carbon Management

49 Capital/embodied emissions associated with physical works will be subject to standard DCC Zero Carbon procurement considerations.

Option Two – Install new toilets and BBQ, re-grade and re surface the accessway with either a gravel or Otta seal, and create a formal turning circle.

50 This option proposes the creation of a formal turning circle at an estimated cost of $537k, which would require additional funding to be agreed by Council.

51 This option proposes building a new toilet at Outram Glen at cost of $255k, and installation of a BBQ at a cost of $30k.

52 This option creates an improved surface for the road accessway at a cost of $30.5k for gravel or $40k for Otta seal.

53 The programme and budget for new public toilets will be reprioritised to include new toilets at Outram Glen.

54 The cost of the BBQ, re-grading and the surface treatment of the accessway can be funded from existing budgets.

Advantages

· Addresses some of the congestion issues by inclusion of a turning circle.

· Responds to the Community Boards request and Community Board Plan.

· Delivers public toilets to a standard that meets community expectations.

· Addresses some accessibility issues of the current toilets.

· Is consistent with existing Council policy position on not extending the tar seal network.

Disadvantages

· Requires additional funding within the draft Annual Plan 2023-24 budget.

· Outram Glen is subject to regular and significant vandalism which may result in regular repairs for toilets and BBQ.

Zero Carbon Considerations

City Wide

55 The proposal to redevelop the Outram Glen area has been assessed as not having a significant impact on city emissions as it is unlikely to result in a significant change in the number of trips to the destination

DCC

56 As with Option 1, this option eliminates the need for ongoing provision of portaloos (and associated transport). However, this option is likely to result in slightly higher capital/embodied emissions than Options 1 due to the creation of the turning circle.

Carbon management

57 Capital/embodied emissions associated with physical works will be subject to standard DCC Zero Carbon procurement considerations.

NEXT STEPS

58 Staff will develop a plan for the upgrade of the facilities dependant on the resolution of Council.

59 Staff will engage stakeholders in discussion and formalise land use agreements as required.

Signatories

Author:	Anna Nilsen - Group Manager, Property Services
Authoriser:	Robert West - General Manager Corporate and Quality

Attachments

	Title	Page
⇩a	Outram Glen land ownership	26
⇩b	10 Year plan 2021 2031 New Public toilet locations	27

SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS

Fit with purpose of Local Government

This decision enables democratic

Fit with strategic framework

	Contributes	Detracts	Not applicable
Social Wellbeing Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Economic Development Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Environment Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Arts and Culture Strategy	☐	☐	☒
3 Waters Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Spatial Plan	☐	☐	☒
Integrated Transport Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Parks and Recreation Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Other strategic projects/policies/plans	☒	☐	☐

This report contributes to the Parks and Recreation Strategy, the Social Well Being Strategy.

Māori Impact Statement

The upgrade of Outram Glen has been discussed over several years and there have been conversations with mana whenua early on. There have been no recent discussions with mana whenua.

Sustainability

There are no known implications that are not covered in the report

LTP/Annual Plan / Financial Strategy /Infrastructure Strategy

Implications for the Annual Plan budget are discussed in the body of the report

Financial considerations

The financial considerations are discussed in the body of the report

Significance

This is matter considered to be low in terms of Councils significance and engagement policy.

Engagement – external

Staff have engaged with Department of Conservation and had informal discussions with Otago Regional Council staff.

Engagement - internal

Property Services, Transport and Parks & Recreation staff have worked together to consider options and costs.

Risks: Legal / Health and Safety etc.

These are covered in the body of the report

Conflict of Interest

There are no known conflicts of interest.

Community Boards

The options in this report support the Mosgiel Taieri Community Board submission to Annual plan 2022-2023 and supports the Community Board Plan.

Council

22 February 2023

Destination Playspaces - Stage 1 Consultation Feedback

Department: Parks and Recreation

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 This report summarises submissions received from stage one of the destination playspaces engagement process. Engagement with the community occurred between 10 October and 31 October 2022.

2 The community was asked about the level of investment they would like to see at Dunedin’s three large playgrounds (Marlow Park, Memorial Gardens playground and Woodhaugh Gardens playground). The comm unity was also whether the Council should build a new, modern destination playspace elsewhere in city.

3 Of the three playgrounds, Marlow Park and Woodhaugh Gardens were the preferred playgrounds to be fully redeveloped into a modern destination playgrounds. The community preference was that Mosgiel Memorial Gardens Playground should receive regular investment i.e., the replacement of equipment, with modern equipment as required.

4 Over half of submitters responded that they wanted a new, modern destination playground.

RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Council:

a) Considers the feedback from Stage 1 of community consultation on destination playspaces.

b) Decides the preferred investment option for each of the existing three destination playspaces (Marlow Park, Woodhaugh Gardens and Mosgiel Memorial Park).

c) Decides whether to progress site investigations for the establishment of a new destination playspace on Council owned land.

BACKGROUND

5 The Play Spaces Plan was adopted by Community and Culture Committee on 3 August 2021, replacing the 2006 Play Spaces Strategy.

6 Feedback received during the Play Spaces Plan 2021 and the 2021-31 10-Year Plan consultation indicated that some people do not consider Dunedin to have a destination playspace and asked for Council to invest in a “Margaret Mahy” style playspace, as developed in Christchurch.

7 A “destination playspace” means different things to different people. In the recreational industry, destination playspaces are broadly accepted as having supporting infrastructure, features, and amenities such as (but not limited to) large gathering spaces, picnic and BBQ facilities, toilets (with baby change facilities), built and natural shade areas, drinking fountains and a variety of park furniture. They typically include at least one large multi-play centrepiece feature.

8 Dunedin has three playspaces with a mix of these features: Marlow Park, Woodhaugh Gardens and Mosgiel Memorial Gardens and all three are managed as destination playspaces.

9 Council, at its meeting of 31 May 2021, resolved that:

Moved (Mayor Aaron Hawkins/Cr David Benson-Pope):

That the Council:

a) Supports, in principle, the development of a new destination playground; and

b) Requests an options report in time for consideration as part of the Draft Annual Plan 2022-2023.

Motion carried (CNL/2021/130) with Cr Andrew Whiley recording his vote against

10 During debate at the Council meeting of 31 January 2022, it was discussed that there had been no specific engagement with the community on destination playgrounds. Following that debate, Council resolved that the Council:

Moved (Mayor Aaron Hawkins/Cr David Benson-Pope):

That the Council:

Requests a report in time for Annual Plan 2022/23 deliberations, looking at resourcing options for the development of concept and community engagement plans for destination playspaces, including:

a) a single site development on council owned land; and

b) a distributed network of investment across three sites.

Division

The Council voted by division:

For: Crs David Benson-Pope, Sophie Barker, Rachel Elder, Christine Garey, Doug Hall, Carmen Houlahan, Marie Laufiso, Mike Lord, Jim O'Malley, Chris Staynes, Steve Walker and Mayor Aaron Hawkins (12).

Against: Crs Jules Radich, Lee Vandervis and Andrew Whiley (3).

Abstained: Nil

The division was declared CARRIED by 12 votes to 3

Motion carried (CAPCC/2022/005)

11 Council, at its meeting of 23 May 2022, considered a staff report on the resourcing options for the development of concept and community engagement plans for destination playspaces. That report recommended a staged approach to community engagement regarding investment into destination playspaces.

12 Council, at its meeting of 23 May 2022 resolved:

Moved (Cr Lee Vandervis/Mayor Aaron Hawkins):

That the Council:

Agrees the staged community engagement approach for destination playspaces, across a range of investment and site options.

Motion carried (CAPCC/2022/035)

13 The three existing large playspaces have a variety of settings, play elements, facilities, and amenities:

Marlow Park (Dinosaur Park)

14 Marlow Park is in a coastal setting. It has a total play area of approximately 9,200 m²:

· 3,500 m² primary existing play space area.

· 700 m² basketball court area.

· 950 m² hard court associated with skate elements.

· 1,050 m² with flexible grassed open space between courts, primary play equipment and social seating area.

· 3,000 m² learn to ride facility.

15 In addition, there is a grassed open space transition to southern embankment set aside for potential dune restoration.

16 The park has the following play elements:

· An extensive learn to ride facility (a small-scale road environment complete with signalled intersections) is located in the western section of the park.

· The central area of the park provides a significant, flat all-weather surface that accommodates skate elements and a full-sized basketball court alongside a flexible grassed open space.

· Primary equipment areas in the eastern and southern extent of the park accommodate a range of proprietary and unique play elements - swings, slides see saw and modules with platforms, tunnels, and agility/climbing elements.

17 Facilities and amenities:

· Marlow Park has a basic range and standard of facilities including public toilets, flexible grassed open space, seating areas and associated shade structures.

· On-street car parking is available along John Wilson Ocean Drive with good visibility and access to the park.

· There are complementary activities nearby such as mini golf, the railway and model engineering society, scout group, surf club and access to the beach. These offer synergies with the park as destinations in their own right.

· Mobile coffee vans and food trucks provide further reasons for people to visit and enjoy this playground.

Woodhaugh Gardens Playground

18 Woodhaugh Gardens is set in a woodland/natural environment. It has a total play area of approximately 4,300 m² and includes the following:

· 3,500 m² existing northern area associated with BBQ and play equipment.

· 550 m² water/paddling pool and an early childhood equipment area.

· 250 m² threshold transition from toilet and BBQ facilities to grassed open space associated with paddling pool area.

19 The park has the following play elements:

· The area to north has a flying fox, swing bank (with belt and toddler provision and slide structure).

· The area to the west has a flying fox (for the 5 – 9 plus age range), swings and slide for older children.

· The paddling pool area has a spinner and small slide (primarily aimed at 0 – 4 age range).

20 Facilities and amenities:

· Woodhaugh has a basic range and standard of facilities including public toilets, BBQ facilities, flexible grassed open space and seating, and a paddling pool area.

· On-street car parking is available along Duke Street, and limited parking on Queen and Inverleith Streets.

Mosgiel Memorial Gardens Playground

21 Mosgiel Memorial Park is set in an urban environment. It has a play area of approximately 5,500 m²:

· 2,500 m² play area with tower module (including slides).

· 600 m² skate area.

· 950 m² recently refurbished central net structure area.

· 850 m² early childhood area.

· 600 m² grassed open space area adjacent to the library car park.

22 The park has the following play elements:

· A fenced early childhood (0 – 4 age range) play area with proprietary play modules, swing, spinner, and rockers/springers.

· Equipment for 5 – 9 plus age range with select elements for older groups including a skate facility and associated features.

· A central open space area that has group/social swing, large space net, see saws, rockers, spinners, accessible carousel.

· The area to the north has rockers and a large proprietary play module with slides.

23 Facilities and amenities:

· The Mosgiel Memorial Park has good supporting amenities including public toilets, BBQ facilities, the adjacent library, supermarket, commercial activities, and car parking.

Engagement

24 Stage 1 of community engagement focussed on asking how the community wanted to invest in the three existing destination playgrounds and if the community wanted Council to invest in a new destination playground:

25 Specific questions were asked (Attachment A), including:

a) At each of the three existing large playgrounds (Marlow Park, Woodhaugh Gardens and Mosgiel Memorial Gardens), would you like:

· Regular investment (replacement of equipment as required); or,

· Develop into a modern destination playground.

· Do you want a NEW modern destination playground elsewhere? (YES / NO)

26 The first stage of engagement with the community was via the following methods:

· A page on the DCC website.

· Feedback form.

· Proactive use of social media.

· Media releases included two articles in the Otago Daily Times.

· Informing Community Boards and Groups to share via their social media channels.

· Physical advertising in DCC facilities by way of posters with QR codes to access webpage and feedback form.

· Signage with QR codes located within the city’s three destination playgrounds Stage 1 of engagement occurred between 10 October and 31 October 2022.

DISCUSSION

27 The total number of submissions received was 1,639.

28 The results of the first question about the level of investment DCC should make at the three existing large playgrounds are shown in Figure 1 (“invest” being replacement of equipment as required and “redevelop” being full redevelopment into a modern destination playground).

29 Respondents could choose one or more options.

Figure 1: Community feedback on whether Dunedin’s three large playgrounds should receive regular investment (“Invest”) or be developed (“Redevelop”) into modern destination playgrounds.

30 Redeveloping Marlow Park into a modern, destination playground was the most popular response with 935 respondents supporting this option.

31 The second most popular response (884 responses) was that Mosgiel Memorial Gardens Playground should receive regular investment, being replacement of equipment, with modern equipment as required.

32 Seven hundred and ninety (790) respondents wanted Woodhaugh Gardens to be fully redeveloped into a modern destination playground.

33 In response to the question “Do you want a new, modern destination playground elsewhere?” 60% of submitters responded yes – see Figure 2.

Do you want a new, modern destination playground elsewhere?
Answer	Count	Percentage
Yes	977	60%
No	662	40%
Total	1,639	100%

Figure 2: Table showing the results to the question “Do you want a new, modern destination playground elsewhere?”

34 Submitters were offered the opportunity to comment on destination playgrounds generally.

35 Submitters provided a range of ideas regarding the location of a new destination playground, what type of play should be allowed for and the features that should be included at destination playgrounds generally.

36 The preferred locations for a new destination playground were Port Chalmers and central city locations including the waterfront, Kensington Oval, Market Reserve, the Town Belt, and the Botanic Gardens.

37 The most requested play type received (90 submitters) was for water play through provision of paddling pools, fountains, and splash pads.

38 Submitters also identified they would like to see destination playgrounds include play choices for all ages from toddlers through to teens and adults.

39 Supporting infrastructure requested for destination playgrounds generally included fencing, shading, weather shelters, barbeques, toilets, seating, and tables.

Assessment of Existing Destination Play Spaces

40 Bespoke Landscape Architects (Bespoke) carried out an assessment of Dunedin’s three destination playspaces, to identify how well the current facilities provide for current play trends such as inclusive play, adventure and natural play, age–appropriate play, self–directed/challenging play, and accessibility.

Marlow Park

41 Marlow Park play equipment is scattered and the use of space inefficient. The assessment identified that the existing equipment provides a baseline level of play experience for those aged 0 – 14 years, but that significant improvement could be made to improve multiple use, connected and self–directed play and provide play opportunities for children/youth aged 10 – 14 plus years.

42 The assessment also considered that the equipment to be old and outdated compared to modern standards. Bespoke recommends retaining many of the existing iconic play elements and improving the flow through the space to elevate play values and improve social areas. Much of the revitalisation can be achieved through surface upgrades and the inclusion of new play structures. An improved landscape setting would also improve amenity value and aid in improving spaces for social interaction for older age groups.

43 A consistent theme from the submissions regarding Marlow Park was that the playground can be cold due to the coastal wind and rain that funnels through the site at times. Supporting infrastructure such as wind and rain shelters would improve the experience of visiting the playground.

Woodhaugh Gardens

44 Woodhaugh Gardens provides a basic level of play experience but requires investment to provide a meaningful destination level provision across all age ranges and play value attributes. Equipment is scattered in three general locations and requires consolidation to minimise duplication of elements.

45 The assessment also identified that the playground lacks inclusive play elements that encourage social interaction and has limited accessibility due to the lack of all–weather surfaces.

46 Bespoke recommends redeveloping the playground by removing the existing scattered equipment and creating a new playground in one area with a new range of play equipment to improve the experience required of a destination play space. An improved landscape setting building on existing natural values would also improve amenity values.

Mosgiel Memorial Gardens

47 Mosgiel Memorial Gardens has a good range of play equipment and play experience. However, the equipment is scattered resulting in poor use of the available space, limiting the playground’s maximum potential. The scattered layout makes the supervision of several children challenging for caregivers.

48 The playground does not require redevelopment in its entirety, it is recommended that investment should focus on consolidation/reconfiguration of existing elements in an improved arrangement, and supplementing these with new elements that improve play value.

49 An improved landscape setting would also improve amenity value and improve spaces for social interaction for older age groups.

Catchment and Distribution

50 Collectively the three existing destination play spaces provide good catchment coverage for the Mosgiel – Fairfield and Northern – Southern urban areas. All facilities are within an approximate 10 – 20 minute drive of each other (Attachment B).

51 Woodhaugh and Marlow facilities have significant catchment overlap in the central Dunedin area. There is however opportunity to create significantly different/complementary experiences due to location and context, and this would provide diversity and choice for the community.

Stage 2 Consultation

52 If Council decides to redevelop any of the existing three destination playgrounds, concept plans will be prepared using feedback on the play types and values gained through Stage 1 of consultation.

53 Concept plans are high–level schematics that provide a visual summary of the play types and play values that the community said are important to them. They are not a final design and do not determine the specific pieces of play equipment to be included (that comes later through the development of detailed design plans).

54 The concept plans will form the basis of the second round of community engagement to visually represent the play values and to gather feedback on the concepts. The engagement will take a fun, accessible, highly graphical approach to ensure wide community appeal.

55 Concept plans will be the basis for detailed designs and incorporated through a design and build process.

56 If Council decides to progress site investigations for the establishment of a new destination playground on Council owned land, staff will work to identify a suitable site for a new destination playground and report back to Council with a preferred site.

Budget

57 For the remainder of the 2021-31 10-Year Plan (years 2023/24 through 2030/31), there is a total of $9,500,000 of new and renewals capital for playground upgrades (subject to annual budget approval).

58 The priorities identified during the development of the Play Space Plan 2021 was to invest in local and neighbourhood playgrounds for the first three years of implementation. No specific budget has been provided for redeveloping any of the existing playgrounds into modern destination playgrounds. However individual pieces of equipment could still be replaced as required from within existing budgets.

OPTIONS

59 There are two decisions required of Council. The first relates to the level of investment Council at Dunedin’s three large playgrounds (Marlow Park, Memorial Gardens playground and Woodhaugh Gardens playground). The second decision relates to whether to progress site investigation into a new, modern destination playground elsewhere in city.

60 The overall network of destination playgrounds is important from a Zero Carbon perspective. The locations of the existing three destination playgrounds are well placed to serve different communities. The location of any new destination playground in relation to the existing network will be a key Zero Carbon consideration.

Decision One

Option One – Decides to develop concept plans for one or more of the existing three destination playspaces (Marlow Park, Woodhaugh Gardens and Mosgiel Memorial Park) as modern destination playgrounds.

Advantages

· Addresses community feedback requesting the development of modern destination playgrounds.

· Investment in existing assets is more cost effective than establishing a new destination playspace as generally the supporting infrastructure is already in place (paths, plumbing, BBQ’s, etc).

· Investment in the existing three playgrounds would better meet the service needs of the community as they are well distributed.

· Investment of the three existing playgrounds was the recommendation from Bespoke’s Destination Playspaces Provision Assessment Report.

Disadvantages

· The costs associated with redeveloping the existing destination playspaces into modern destination playspaces is not currently budgeted for.

Zero Carbon Considerations

· Prior to the design process it is difficult to determine the level of emissions that would be generated from any upgrades to the playgrounds.

· Continuing to invest in the existing playgrounds may support reduced city transport emissions. The existing three large playgrounds are well distributed to service a significant number of the city’s residents enabling a large proportion to access the playground via active or public transport modes.

· The existing playgrounds have well–established supporting infrastructure, so capital/embodied emissions from refurbishment are likely to be lower than constructing a new playground.

Option Two – Decides to not to develop concept plans for any of the existing three destination playspaces (Marlow Park, Woodhaugh Gardens and Mosgiel Memorial Park) as modern destination playgrounds.

Advantages

· No cost or expenditure required beyond the standard cost to maintain and manage the playgrounds.

Disadvantages

· Does not address community feedback requesting the development of a modern destination playground.

· Does not maximise the opportunity from existing assets.

· Does not ensure that most residents will have a modern destination playground that is easily accessible.

Zero Carbon Considerations

· No upgrades will result in no capital or embodied emissions generated through the manufacture, transport, construction, and installation of play elements.

Decision Two

Option One – Decides to progress site investigations for the establishment of a new destination playspace on Council owned land

Advantages

· Addresses community feedback requesting the development of a new, modern destination playground.

· If the investigation leads to the establishment of a new playground, having a blank canvas allows a playground to be designed to consider best practice in terms of location and orientation without having to consider existing elements and infrastructure.

Disadvantages

· The costs associated with developing a new destination playspace is not currently budgeted for.

· The potential construction costs of a new modern destination playground on a greenfield site is likely to be higher than investing in existing destination playspaces due to higher site establishment costs and construction of supporting infrastructure.

· The potential loss of amenity open space reserve or sports ground.

Zero Carbon Considerations

· It is difficult at this stage to quantify the potential impact of any new modern destination playground without a location and spatial design.

· It is likely that constructing a new modern destination playground will generate additional carbon emissions:

§ Transport emissions from residents using motor vehicles to travel to the playground, however this could be mitigated through location selection that considers the overall network of playgrounds and availability of transport modes.

§ Capital and embodied emissions from the construction and installation of new supporting infrastructure and play equipment.

Option Two – Do not progress site investigations for the establishment of a new destination playspace on Council owned land

Advantages

· No cost or expenditure required.

· No loss of amenity open space or sportsground due to it being repurposed for a playground.

Disadvantages

· Does not address community feedback requesting the development of a modern destination playground.

· The loss of an opportunity to develop a purpose–built destination playground.

Zero Carbon Considerations

· It is expected that this option will not have any impact on emissions.

NEXT STEPS

61 If Council decides to redevelop any of the existing three destination playgrounds, concept plans will be prepared and consulted on as part of Stage 2 of community engagement, during the 2023/24 year.

62 If Council decides to progress site investigations for a new destination playground, staff will commence site investigations and due diligence and provide a report on options in time for the January 2024-2034 10 Year Plan meeting.

Signatories

Author:

Elizabeth Schonwald - Parks and Recreation Planner

Scott MacLean - Group Manager Parks and Recreation

Authoriser:

Simon Pickford - General Manager Community Services

Attachments

	Title	Page
⇩a	Feedback Form Destination Playground	42
⇩b	Destination Playspace Distribution Map	44

SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS

Fit with purpose of Local Government

This decision enables democratic local decision making and action by, and on behalf of communities.

This decision promotes the social well-being of communities in the present and for the future.

Fit with strategic framework

	Contributes	Detracts	Not applicable
Social Wellbeing Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Economic Development Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Environment Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Arts and Culture Strategy	☒	☐	☐
3 Waters Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Spatial Plan	☒	☐	☐
Integrated Transport Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Parks and Recreation Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Other strategic projects/policies/plans	☒	☐	☐

Playspaces contribute to the wellbeing of the community. The development of playspaces provides opportunities for art and culture to be included within the design. The Integrated Transport Strategy and Spatial Plan are relevant when considering locations of future playspaces and in particular destination playspaces. Playspaces are a key component of the Parks and Recreation Strategy.

Māori Impact Statement

There will be continued engagement with mana whenua throughout both the design and development of our destination playspaces.

Sustainability

Sustainability will be considered all stages of the project from planning to construction.

LTP/Annual Plan / Financial Strategy /Infrastructure Strategy

Currently there is no budget allocated within the LTP or the Annual Plan for developing destination playspaces, although there is funding in the LTP for the upgrading of our existing destination playspaces as a result of the Play Spaces Plan.

Financial considerations

Stage 2 consultation will be undertaken in the 2022/23 financial year and can be resourced from within the existing PARS draft operating budgets for the 2023/24 financial year.

Significance

The decision is considered low in terms of the Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy.

Engagement – external

Development of playspaces requires external engagement across all age demographics. Development of destination playspaces is likely to attract wide community interest.

Engagement - internal

Parks and Recreation Services staff will work closely with our colleagues in other departments with the development of destination playspaces.

Risks: Legal / Health and Safety etc.

There are no identified risks.

Conflict of Interest

There are no known conflicts of interest.

Community Boards

Community Boards will be interested in this topic as there are many DCC playgrounds within Community Boards areas.

Council

22 February 2023

Aquatic Facilities Network Review

Department: Parks and Recreation

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 This report presents a review of Dunedin’s aquatic facilities network. The purpose of the review was to determine the extent of the network, the role each facility plays in the community and to explore opportunities for collaboration, to optimise the provision of aquatic services in Dunedin.

2 The city’s aquatic network is comprised of DCC pools, school pools and community pools.

3 To understand the challenges and opportunities in the aquatic network, discussions were held with pool operators, swim schools, user groups, stakeholders, mana whenua and the Ministry of Education.

4 The city’s ratio of population per square metre of pool space meets the national provision guidelines. However, there are fewer municipal pools for the size of the population in Dunedin than in other areas of the country. This means there is a greater reliance on school and community pools, for the provision of aquatic services, particularly for children’s water skills and learn-to-swim services.

5 Based on future demand projections, there would be a longer-term benefit of locating increased junior-based, learn to swim activity within the school pools to free up pool space at the Council facilities, which are the only pools currently suitable for older adult use.

6 The report considers options that Council could pursue to meet future aquatic demand across the city.

RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Council:

a) Notes the Aquatic Facilities Review.

b) Request staff investigate potential co-investment options with the Ministry of Education and other partners and report back in time for the January 2024-2034 10‑Year Plan meeting.

c) Notes staff will continue to work with the Otago Therapeutic Pool Trust.

BACKGROUND

7 The review of Dunedin’s aquatic facilities began during the building of the new pool at Mosgiel. The purpose of the review was to determine the extent of the network, the role each facility plays in the community and to explore opportunities for collaboration, to optimise the provision of aquatic services in Dunedin.

8 The city’s aquatic network is comprised DCC pools, school pools and community pools.

9 In addition, the Council at its meeting of 23 May 2022 resolved:

“That the Council:

Ask staff to include discussions with the Therapeutic Pool Trust as part of the Aquatics Network Review.

Motion carried (CAPCC/2022/034)”

10 Discussions were held with all school and community pool operators (whether DCC funded or not), formalised user groups of Moana Pool, Sport Otago, commercial swim schools, Swimming New Zealand, Water Safety New Zealand, the Otago Therapeutic Pool Trust, the DCC Disability Issues Advisory Group, mana whenua and the Ministry of Education. User groups of all school and community pools were also interviewed as part of the Review.

Current State

11 DCC plays a role in the direct supply of aquatic facilities and contributes to the indirect supply of aquatic access through support of community and school pools. The six markets the aquatic facilities cater for are:

· lap swimming

· swim coaching/squads

· aquatic education (learn to swim and water safety lessons)

· recreational aquatic play

· aquatic fitness programs

· therapeutic and rehabilitation programmes, and

· aquatic based sports (water polo, underwater hockey, diving etc)

DCC Facilities

12 Once Mosgiel Pool, Te Punu o Whakaehu, becomes operational in mid-2023, the DCC will operate two all-year round pools (Moana and Te Punu o Whakaehu) and two seasonal pools (St Clair and Port Chalmers).

13 Moana Pool is Dunedin’s major aquatic facility. It is categorised as a regional facility in terms of its size, features, and the level of competition swimming for which it caters.

14 Moana Pool has a 50-metre, eight-lane competition pool, 25 metre multi-use/dive pool, learners, and leisure pools, hydroslides and spa pool. It includes gym and group fitness facilities. Moana caters for a range of aquatic swim programmes, clubs, and swim squads.

15 There are limitations to hosting some competition events at Moana. The shallow end of Moana Pool is 0.91 metres. The minimum depth required for Swimming New Zealand 50 metre “long-course” events is 1.4 metres. The International Swimming Federation (Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA)) requires a minimum depth of 1.0 metre for non-dive starts and 1.35 metres for dive starts (off starting blocks).

16 Moana Pool is being refurbished to improve accessibility, the carbon footprint and general functionality and usability of the facility.

17 Te Punu o Whakaehu, once operational, will include a 25 metre, eight-lane main pool, a learn to swim pool, leisure and toddlers pool, hydrotherapy pool and a spa pool. It will cater for aquatic fitness programmes, leisure swimming, learn-to-swim and swim skills programmes, squad and swim clubs and therapy/rehabilitation swimming.

18 DCC operates seasonal facilities at Port Chalmers and St Clair.

19 Port Chalmers is a 30.5 metre, six-lane pool. It caters for lane swimming, leisure swimming, swim lessons and squad club swimming.

20 St Clair is a heated, outdoor saltwater pool. It is a 25 metre, six-lane pool and caters for leisure swimming and lane swimming.

Community Pools

21 There are three community-run pools in the city. Moana Gow, located at Hawksbury, Mosgiel West pool in Mosgiel and the Dunedin Physio Pool in the centre city (currently closed due to lack of funding for required maintenance).

22 Moana Gow Pool is located in Hawksbury Village. It is 20 metres long and four-lanes wide. It is open year-round and is accessible by purchasing a key from the trust for an annual subscription.

23 Mosgiel West Pool has remained open during the construction of the new pool at Mosgiel but will close once the new facility is up and running so has not been included in the review.

School Pools

24 Dunedin has 16 operational school pools of varying age and condition spread across the city. DCC contributes funding towards eight of these to offset their operating costs.

25 The “newest” school pool is over 47 years old and the oldest around 100 years old.

26 School pools contribute to the delivery of water safety skills and learn to swim programmes, predominantly for children.

27 Thirteen of the school pools are of a depth (less than 1.2 metres deep) suitable for younger children only (up to Year 4). Three schools offer deeper water up to 1.8 metres deep.

28 School principals interviewed reported ongoing challenges with the funding and maintenance of their school pools. Most indicated that formalising agreements with DCC for the provision of technical advice and assistance with the bulk procurement of aquatic chemical would be beneficial.

29 Some school principals reported that formalising training programmes with DCC aquatic staff in general pool operations, such as water quality management and lifeguard training, would also be beneficial in keeping their pools operational and compliant.

30 The school principals spoken to that operate pools see swimming as a priority part of the curriculum and all are keen to retain their pools.

31 Schools without pools were also interviewed. Of the 53 schools asked about their use of aquatic facilities, about half provided a response. Those responses indicate that 56% use Moana Pool for their swimming lessons and 44% use a school or community pool.

Network Support

32 The DCC currently supports two community pools (Moana Gow at Hawksbury and Mosgiel West) and 16 school pools. Support can include financial grants, assistance with bulk chemical purchasing and provision of technical advice upon request. DCC also stores bulk chemical at Moana Pool, for some schools that don’t have compliant facilities for bulk chemical storage.

33 In addition to the funding grants for pools, DCC currently provides two grants for swim programme support. These are:

· Dunedin Swim Coaching Board (to support the development of swim coaching capability and capacity in Dunedin for all levels), $45,000 per annum.

· Sport Otago – ‘Skills to Swim’ (to support schools with the costs of pool access and swim programmes), $30,000 per annum.

34 Benchmarking was carried out against the National Facilities Strategy for Aquatic Sports 2013 and the Sport New Zealand Insights Tool (developed using data from the Active NZ annual surveys) was used to determine the swimming participation trends for the Dunedin area. Data from each of these informed the Review.

35 Attachment A shows a map of the network. A summary of the network’s facilities is shown below.

Facility	Seasonal/ All-year round (All)	Shallow/ Deep¹	Grant	Technical support	Accessibility
DCC Facilities
Moana Pool	All	Deep			Hoist
Te Punu o Whakaehu (when opened)	All	Deep			Ramps / Hoist
Port Chalmers Pool	Seasonal	Deep
St Clair Hot Saltwater Pool	Seasonal	Deep			Hoist
Community pools
Moana Gow Pool	All	Deep	$70,000	Site visits, advice	Ramp
Dunedin Physio Pool (currently closed)	All	Deep		Site visits, advice	Hoist
Schools²
Abbotsford School	Seasonal	Shallow		Site Visit/ Chlorine
Andersons Bay School	Seasonal	Shallow	$10,000	Site visit	Hoist
Big Rock Primary School	Seasonal	Shallow	$5,000
Carisbrook School	Seasonal	Shallow	$10,000	Site Visit/ Chlorine	Hoist
Dunedin North Intermediate	All	Shallow	$12,000	Chlorine
Fairfield School (Dunedin)	Seasonal	Shallow		Site visit
Macandrew Bay School	Seasonal	Shallow		Chlorine	Hoist
Mornington School	Seasonal	Shallow	$13,000	Site Visit
Otago Boys' High School	Seasonal	Deep
Outram School	Seasonal	Shallow		Chlorine
Portobello School	Seasonal	Shallow	$5,000	Site visit
Ravensbourne School	Seasonal	Shallow		Site visit/ Chlorine
Strath Taieri School	Seasonal	Deep	$10,000	Pool covers (from old Mosgiel pool) /Advice
Taieri College	Seasonal	Deep		Site visits	Hoist
Wakari School	Seasonal	Shallow	$11,000	Site visits/Chlorine	Hoist
Warrington School	Seasonal	Shallow
1 Shallow is a maximum depth of 1.2 metres and Deep is greater than 1.2 metres.
2 Lee Stream School Pool is closed and the Mosgiel West (Elmgrove School) community pool is closing when Te Punu o Whakaehu opens.

DISCUSSION

Consultation – Issues and Opportunities for the Network

36 Parties were consulted about what they considered to be issues and opportunities for the aquatic network. The most common themes identified during the consultation were:

· Physical infrastructure – the building and plant specifications and characteristics, including accessibility.

· Financial – the ability to secure the funds to enable access, the swim instruction resources and cost, and (for schools) travel costs. Schools and/or the community must fundraise for the operational costs of the pools. All pool operators said that funding was an ongoing concern.

· Operations – the logistics and factors associated with ongoing operation of the facilities, including access to technical expertise.

37 The current club and community group users of the DCC facilities were surveyed for their views on the aquatic facilities network and services. Fifteen were invited to contribute and responses were received from eight of these.

38 For swimming clubs, the challenges identified were the lack of lane space, time slot constraints and having to have lanes available for public. Also mentioned was the cost of pool space and having limited access to Moana Pool.

39 For aquatic sports clubs (canoe and kayak clubs, artistic swimming, underwater hockey), the challenges identified were time constraints in the pool schedule, availability for more practice time, availability due to events, and the pool closing time. Also mentioned were coaches' availability, lack of pool depth and equipment available at the pool (kayak paddles).

40 The two community pool groups were also interviewed. Moana Gow pool identified opportunities for DCC to help with procurement, safety guidance and lifeguard training. For the Dunedin Physiotherapy pool, the challenges identified related to the age of the plant, security of tenure, staffing and access issues.

41 Dunedin has four commercial, learn-to-swim schools. The community pools both have local providers delivering programmes to the schools and some learn-to-swim instruction. None have their own facility, relying on the network on DCC, school and community pools.

42 Mana whenua acknowledged the importance of water safety and learning to swim. Many Māori whānau are involved in mahika kai activities such as, fishing, collecting tuaki, diving and birding (travel requiring boats to the Manu Tītī Islands), and water activities such as waka ama and spending time on rivers.

43 Mana whenua thought it would be beneficial to incorporate Kaupapa Māori elements into swimming facilities, which would support the use of waterways and bodies of water. This could include activities based on mahika kai, being in boats and navigational stories.

44 The Disability Issues Advisory Group (DIAG) was engaged with to understand the perspectives of the representative organisations and their members. The issues raised related to Dunedin Physio Pool being temporarily being closed and facilities at Moana.

Pool Capacity

45 By mid-2023 there will be 21 operational pools within Dunedin (16 school pools, four DCC pools and one community pool).

46 The National Facilities Strategy for Aquatic Sports 2013 (National Strategy) outlines that in urban areas, there should be a ratio of one square metre of pool space per 60 head of population. Municipal pools, school pools and community pools are all considered in the capacity calculations.

47 Once Te Punu o Whakaehu is operational in 2023, the provision of publicly useable indoor pool space will be 3,576 square metres for Dunedin, giving a ratio of approximately 37.5 people per square metre of pool.

48 While the Dunedin ratio of 37.5 people per square metre of pool space sits comfortably within the national provision guidelines, the National Strategy identifies there are fewer municipal pools for the size of the population in Dunedin, than in other areas of the country. This means there is a greater reliance on school and community pools, for the provision of aquatic services, such as water skills and learn-to-swim services, particularly for children.

49 The capacity calculation does not consider the available time pools can be accessed, or the specific features the pools may have. For example, the Review found that most Dunedin primary school pools were shallow, small, and had relatively limited availability outside of school use. In addition, due to the Dunedin climate, the period of availability of the school pools for swimming was relatively short (on average 14 weeks during term time per year).

50 This means that in their current condition (all being seasonal) school pools in Dunedin contribute much less to the available pool space for the community than has been assumed in the National Strategy.

Population Growth

51 The population for Dunedin is projected to grow to 142,671 by 2043. To estimate demand for swimming facilities and services the Dunedin population, data and projections used for the 2021 Long Term Plan Significant Forecasting Assumptions and the projected growth has been used as a basis.

Dunedin residents	2018	2022	2043	Change between 2018 and 2043
0-14	20,501	20,775	19,817	-684
15-24	28,558	27,926	27,774	-784
25-64	60,368	61,521	60,442	75
65+	21,093	23,962	34,637	13,545
Total	130,520	134,184	142,671	12,151

52 While the total population will increase by 12,151, the number of people under 24 will decrease, those 25-64 will have a minor increase, and the number of people aged over 65 years will account for much of the population growth.

53 This data suggests the demand for children’s activities such as learn to swim lessons and play and young adult activities such as lap swimming will decrease slightly.

54 Demand for older adult activities will increase, which will generally require indoor water space.

55 New population projections were released by Statistics New Zealand in December 2022. These suggest that Dunedin’s growth will be slower than previously expected, however they retain the projected trends of a decrease in residents aged under 25 and a significant increase in residents aged 65+.

56 Using these population projections, demand estimates for the network have been calculated and are shown in the table below:

	2018	2023	2028	2033	2038	2043
Estimated swims per year from population trends	1,050,616	1,065,083	1,096,813	1,088,100	1,089,331	1,084,771
Actual and forecast DCC pool visits	768,315	798,443	819,565	835,776	841,103	843,186
Estimated school swims per year	195,599	195,087	197,962	192,051	188,203	185,871
Estimated community pool swims per year	58,500	58,500	58,500	58,500	58,500	58,500
Total estimated supply from the facility user information	1,022,414	1,052,030	1,076,027	1,086,327	1,087,806	1,087,557
Residual demand	(28,202)	(13,053)	(20,786)	(1,773)	(1,525)	2,786

Strategic Investment in School Pools

57 The Review has shown that Dunedin has sufficient pool space for its population. However, there is a lack of usable deep water for all requested activities at peak times.

58 School pools will not be able to meet the needs of the increasing number of older adults. This strengthens the longer-term benefit of locating increased junior-based, learn to swim activity within the school pools to free up pool space at the Council facilities, which are the only pools currently suitable for older adult use.

59 There are 16 school pools within the network. These pools serve the school where they are located, and some provide service to neighbouring schools. The condition of the pools is generally good and there is a commitment to maintain the pools. However, many have poor quality changing facilities and the enclosing roof structures are in varying conditions. None have adequate heating and insulation throughout with only one operating as an all-year-round facility. Two have adequate end to end disability improvements.

Otago Therapeutic Pool (Physio Pool)

60 The Physio Pool provided a therapeutic and rehabilitation facility for the Otago region. In May 2021, the pool closed due to mechanical plant issues.

61 Prior to its closure, the pool was operated by the Otago Therapeutic Pool Trust (OTPT), which was established in 1983 to maintain the use of the pool for therapeutic purposes by patients from hospitals in Otago and for use by the public. In the year prior to closure OTPT estimate there were 35,000 visitors.

62 OTPT has commissioned a consultant to develop a feasibility study looking at future options for the pool and the viability of it reopening. DCC staff have been in communication with OTPT and their consultants and will continue to engage and provide advice for the feasibility study as required. OTPT were consulted as part of this Review.

OPTIONS

Option One – Investigate Potential Co-investment Options

63 To make the most of the school pools within the network, DCC in partnership with Ministry of Education, School Boards, and private investment could enhance strategically selected primary school pools to provide access for other local schools that do not have their own pools. These Hub Pools (or ‘Aquatic Learning Centres’) could provide all-year-round facilities for greater access and targeted users appropriate for the pools. This would also create a more sustainable market to support the year-round provision of private learn to swim while easing the demand on facilities such as Moana pool.

Advantages

· Taking a strategic investment approach rather than ad-hoc support.

· School pools would ease demand on Moana Pool.

· School pools would provide all-year-round facilities for greater access for other local schools that do not have their own pools.

· School pools would create a more sustainable market to support the year-round provision of private learn to swim.

Disadvantages

· While the costs to investigate the feasibility of School Pools can be met withing existing budgets, the cost of upgrading the pools is not currently budgeted.

Zero Carbon Considerations

· This option has the potential to align with the Zero Carbon Policy, as providing greater access to pools across the network may reduce transport requirements.

· Investigation work will include Zero Carbon considerations of the pool network, including energy demands and transport implications.

Option Two – Status Quo

64 DCC would continue to support community and school pools on an ad-hoc basis. Support would include financial grants, assistance with bulk chemical purchasing/storage and provision of technical advice.

Advantages

· Funding already included in 10-Year Plan budget.

Disadvantages

· School pools likely to deteriorate increasing the likelihood of increased funding requests and/or requests for a new Council-run aquatic facility.

· Does not address growth in older demographic which generally requires warmer indoor water space.

Zero Carbon Considerations

· This option aligns less well with the Zero Carbon Policy, as it does not minimise emissions or contribute to achieving the city-wide or DCC emissions reduction targets.

NEXT STEPS

65 If Council endorse the resolution, staff will further investigate the options with MoE and other potential partners and report back in time for the January 2024-2034 10-Year Plan meeting.

66 Staff will continue to engage with the Otago Therapeutic Pool Trust and provide advice for its feasibility study as required.

67 Staff will meet with swim school providers to discuss opportunities to incorporate Māori customs and values into aquatic programmes.

Signatories

Author:

Heath Ellis - Aquatics Manager

Scott MacLean - Group Manager Parks and Recreation

Authoriser:

Simon Pickford - General Manager Community Services

Attachments

	Title	Page
⇩a	Map of Pools Network	59

SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS

Fit with purpose of Local Government

This decision promotes the social well-being of communities in the present and for the future.

Fit with strategic framework

	Contributes	Detracts	Not applicable
Social Wellbeing Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Economic Development Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Environment Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Arts and Culture Strategy	☐	☐	☒
3 Waters Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Spatial Plan	☐	☐	☒
Integrated Transport Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Parks and Recreation Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Other strategic projects/policies/plans	☐	☐	☒

The Parks and Recreation Strategy provides guidance for the planning development and management of Dunedin’s recreational facilities parks and open spaces. The core of this strategy is to encourage Dunedin’s communities to be more active.

Aquatic facilities contribute to the economy of the city through providing recreational facilities and attracting competitive aquatic events.

Māori Impact Statement

Mana whenua were consulted as part of this review. There is an opportunity to improve the outcomes for Māori by incorporation of mana whenua values into aquatic facilities and programmes.

Sustainability

Dunedin has sufficient pool space for its population. However, there is lack of usable deep water for all requested activities at peak times. School pools will not be able to meet the needs of the increasing number of older adults. The report presents options for future sustainability.

LTP/Annual Plan / Financial Strategy /Infrastructure Strategy

There are no implications.

Financial considerations

There are no implications.

Significance

This decision is considered low in terms of the Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy.

Engagement – external

There has been external engagement with mana whenua, schools, Moana Gow and Otago Therapeutic Pool Trust, clubs and community user groups, swim schools and aquatic stakeholder groups.

Engagement – internal

There was internal engagement with various Council departments including Transport and City Development.

Risks: Legal / Health and Safety etc.

There are no known risks.

Conflict of Interest

There are no known conflicts of interest.

Community Boards

Community Boards will be interested in this topic as there are several DCC and community-run pools in Community Boards areas.

Council

22 February 2023

Sports Facilities Review

Department: Parks and Recreation

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 Parks and Recreation Services (PARS) has completed a review (The Review) of Dunedin City Council’s (DCC) indoor and outdoor sports facilities (excluding aquatic facilities) to understanding the current state and level of provision of DCC’s indoor and outdoor sport and recreation facilities.

2 The Review included engagement with mana whenua, sports organisations, sports clubs, sport and recreation stakeholders and the wider Dunedin community.

3 The Review identified that DCC currently provides sufficient outdoor sports facilities per population in comparison to similar metro councils, when benchmarked using the “Yardstick” tool, a universally accepted ratio for provision.

4 The constraining factors identified for the use of these outdoor facilities were drainage and lighting for evening training in winter months. These constraints will be addressed as part of the PARS annual greenspace capital renewals programme.

5 The Review identified that DCC’s provision of indoor sports facilities meets the benchmark with the current population. Access to court space at peak demand times is reported by some stakeholders as a constraining factor in the growth of their sports. Netball, basketball, and futsal report that it can be difficult securing sufficient court space during peak hours.

6 The age and condition of both the Edgar Centre and the Dunedin Ice Stadium were also noted as constraints for the growth of sports using these facilities.

7 Feedback received from stakeholders was that while the playing surfaces of indoor facilities was often adequate, other aspects like climate control could be improved.

8 Sport Otago, on behalf of Sport New Zealand, is developing an Otago Regional Spaces and Places Plan which will identify levels of provision of facilities across Otago, identify regionally important facilities, identify gaps in provision and inform sub-regional plans.

9 The Sports Facilities Review will be used by PARS as it works with Sport Otago in the development of an Otago Regional Spaces and Places Plan and sub-regional plan for Dunedin.

RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Council:

a) Notes the Sports Facility Review 2022.

b) Notes that the Sports Facilities Review will be used by PARS as it works with Sport Otago in the development of an Otago Regional Spaces and Places Plan and subsequent sub-regional plan for Dunedin.

BACKGROUND

10 DCC manages a range of indoor and outdoor sporting facilities that cater for a wide range of formal and informal sports and recreational activities.

11 The DCC also owns two indoor facilities that are leased out and managed by Trusts: the Edgar Centre and the Dunedin Ice Stadium.

12 Approaches to the DCC from sports clubs and stakeholders over time seeking support for new or improved facilities prompted PARS to review indoor and outdoor sports facilities.

13 The purpose of the review was to work with stakeholders to understand current state and future needs. This information will inform the development of a sub-regional Sports Facilities Plan for Dunedin, that will guide future investment.

14 The Dunedin Gymnastics Academy submitted to the 2021-31 10-Year Plan requesting Council builds a “fit-for-purpose and permanent gymnastic facility/facilities for Dunedin”.

15 That request was not supported by Council, instead, at its meeting of 31 May 2022, Council resolved that:

Moved (Cr Carmen Houlahan/Cr Rachel Elder):

That the Council:

Requests staff work with Sport Otago and Dunedin Gymnastics Academy and gym clubs to investigate options to find suitable facilities for their activities in the Sports Facilities Review Report.

Motion carried (CNL/2021/120)

16 Engagement with mana whenua and stakeholders including Sport Otago, Parafed, Special Olympics, The Youth Council, the Access-for-All forum, various sports clubs and codes, Dunedin Gymnastics Academy, and the wider community formed part of the Review

17 A total of 44 interviews were held with sports and recreation codes.

18 A community survey was undertaken which received 525 responses.

19 Engagement topics included current levels of provision and condition of facilities, issues, and opportunities.

20 Ministry of Education and Tertiary Education facilities were not included in the Review as they will be covered in the Otago Regional Places and Spaces Plan being developed by Sport Otago.

DISCUSSION

21 Dunedin is part of one of the most active regions in New Zealand with many sports in the city tracking above national trends. For the wider Otago region, adult participation in weekly sport sits at 73%, slightly higher than the average national weekly participation of 72%.

22 Participation rates are across all sports, both indoor and outdoor.

23 To measure levels of provision for outdoor sports and recreation areas, the New Zealand Recreation Association uses the national benchmarking tool, Yardstick.

24 The Yardstick tool collects and compares management and user information and produces an annual report on a range of categories.

25 Yardstick does not provide a universally accepted ratio for provision. However, councils can compare their provision against the peer group median and historical trends. The peer group for Dunedin includes metro councils such as Wellington City as well as smaller district councils like Waitomo and Gore District.

Outdoor Facilities

26 Sports parks are defined as land that caters for publicly available organised sports activities (that is, sports fields with associated amenities). The area includes the surrounds to the actual sport playing area so may include additional grass areas, carparks, access roads and garden areas.

27 Dunedin has 53 open spaces categorised as sports parks, totalling approximately 400 hectares.

28 These areas are adaptable and can be configured into 345 different field configurations catering to a variety of sports. These areas include two artificial turfs, 42 natural turfs, seven sand carpet fields and one specialist fine turf.

29 Approximately 250 weekly games are played during the winter and summer sports seasons.

30 Dunedin currently provides 2.6 hectares of sports parks per 1,000 residents. This is higher than the Yardstick median in this category for both Dunedin’s peer group (1.8 hectares) and New Zealand across all Territorial Authorities (1.6 hectares).

31 Regarding the actual playing surfaces for publicly available organised sports and recreation activities, Dunedin has 1.17 hectares of playing surface per 1,000 residents. The Yardstick median in this category for both Dunedin’s peer group and New Zealand across all Territorial Authorities is 0.89 hectares per 1,000 residents.

32 Dunedin’s outdoor sports facilities are well distributed across the city, with parks such as Logan Park and the Kensington Oval providing for a larger volume of participants and multiple codes to be played at the same time.

33 These indicators show that there is capacity to create more playing surfaces for publicly available organised sports and recreation activities in Dunedin if required as there is 1.43 hectares of sports parks per 1,000 residents with potential for development.

34 Stakeholders and sports park users interviewed and surveyed during the engagement phase reported that drainage and provision of lighting during winter for evening trainings were constraining factors in the growth of their sports.

35 PARS engaged the New Zealand Sports Turf Institute to undertake condition audits of Dunedin’s sports fields.

36 A programme of upgrades and improvements to the playing surfaces, based on recommendations from the condition audits is being delivered as part of the PARS annual greenspace capital renewals programme.

37 Capital provision has been made in the PARS draft 2023/24 budget (subject to approval) of $536,000 to improve outdoor sports facilities. This will include drainage and irrigation upgrades, playing surface improvements, field lighting and sports equipment (goals, posts, etc).

38 Upgrades for the 2023/24 year are proposed at Seddon Park, North Ground, Bishopcourt (fields 4 and 5) and Ocean Grove.

Indoor Sports Venues

39 DCC owns, or has an active involvement in, several indoor sports venues. The largest are the Edgar Centre and the Dunedin Ice Stadium, which are owned by DCC, with their management leased out to Trusts. DCC also owns the Caledonian Memorial Gymnasium and the Mosgiel Memorial Park Gymnasium.

40 The Edgar Centre is a single-level building which has approximately 16,800 m² of floor space across two indoor areas. The facility provides for several sports including tennis, netball, basketball, futsal, roller derby and handball. The Edgar Centre is the only indoor sports facility that has multiple courts available for public use. Demand is greatest during weekdays during the hours of 4.00 pm though to 9.30 pm, with minimal demand during the hours of 8.00 am to 4.00 pm. This is primarily due to sports participants working or studying during the day.

41 The Caledonian Gymnasium is a multi-purpose recreational facility with a floor area of approximately 806 m². The ground floor is mainly occupied by a large entrance foyer with toilet and changing room facilities to either side. The first floor contains one full-sized basketball court, office space, self-catering kitchen facilities and medical treatment facilities, along with tiered seating for approximately 320 spectators. Court markings provide for both basketball and netball on a sprung wooden floor.

42 The Mosgiel Memorial Gymnasium is a multi-purpose recreational facility located in Mosgiel Memorial Park. The building has a floor area of 957 m² with space for one basketball court and three badminton courts on a sprung wooden floor. The building has a kitchen, meeting room, storage, and a toilet upstairs, and at the end of the basketball court. Tiered seating for over 100 spectators, changing rooms, including for referees, and toilets and showers are also available in the building.

43 The Dunedin Ice Stadium houses both an ice hockey rink and a curling rink. The stadium has seating for up to 1,850 people. The facility is used for ice hockey, curling, figure skating and public ice skating, and is the home venue of the Dunedin Thunder ice hockey team.

44 The age and condition of both the Edgar Centre and the Dunedin Ice Stadium were noted as constraints for the growth of sports using these facilities.

45 A common theme identified in stakeholder engagement was that while the courts or playing surfaces of the indoor facilities was often seen as adequate. Inadequate heating and condensation in the facilities was an issue for both athletes and spectators.

46 Issues with the changing rooms were also identified as an area where improvements and upgrades were required.

47 Another issue affecting both the Edgar Centre and the Ice Stadium is the potential impacts sea level rise and associated natural hazards may have on the medium to long term viability (30-50 years and beyond) of these facilities.

48 Metrics for indoor sports facility provision are provided by Sport New Zealand.

49 Sport New Zealand’s indoor sports facility (court) benchmark is 1 court per 9,000 people in metropolitan areas. Dunedin has 15 indoor courts in total (excluding school courts), so currently meets this benchmark.

50 While Dunedin has sufficient court capacity for the population, access to court space at peak times is reported by stakeholders as a constraining factor in the growth of their sports. Netball, basketball, and futsal all report that it can be difficult securing sufficient court space during peak hours.

51 PARS will continue to work closely with the Edgar Centre management to identify opportunities to optimise court space during off-peak times. This could include investigation into more efficient use of the facility such as increasing the number of sprung wooden floors from the current seven to accommodate increasing demand, however this comes at the cost of reducing the number of other playing surfaces at the facility.

52 Upgrading outdoor facilities to provide alternate all-weather options, such as covering some tennis courts at Logan Park could be investigated which would allow reallocation of space at the Edgar Centre.

53 Similarly, sports or team training could be moved to new outdoor covered artificial surface training facilities. Increasing floor space at existing facilities by revisiting earlier redevelopment proposals could also be considered.

54 These type of investigations into efficiency of usage will be part of the development of a Sports Facilities sub-regional plan.

Growth and Demand

55 The population for Dunedin is projected to grow to 142,671 by 2043. To estimate demand for sport and recreation facilities for the Dunedin population, data and projections used for the 2021 Long Term Plan Significant Forecasting Assumptions and the projected growth has been used as a basis.

Dunedin residents	2018	2022	2043	Change between 2018 and 2043
0-14	20,501	20,775	19,817	-684
15-24	28,558	27,926	27,774	-784
25-64	60,368	61,521	60,442	75
65 plus	21,093	23,962	34,637	13,545
Total	130,520	134,184	142,671	12,151

56 While the total population will increase by 12,151, the number of people under 24 is projected to decrease, those 25-64 will have a minor increase, and the number of people aged over 65 years will account for much of the population growth.

57 New population projections were released by Statistics New Zealand in December 2022. These suggest that Dunedin’s growth will be slower than previously expected, however they retain the projected trends of a decrease in residents aged under 25 and a significant increase in residents aged 65 plus.

58 Population changes need to be considered alongside participation trends. Dunedin is part of one of the most active regions in New Zealand, with some sports (futsal, basketball, netball, volleyball for younger people and cycling/biking, tennis, badminton, and bowls, for older people) in the city tracking above national trends. For the wider Otago region, adults spend about 5.9 hours per week participating in sport and active recreation which is significantly higher than the national average of 5.2 hours.

59 Young people spend about 12.6 hours which is also above the national average of 11 hours. Adult participation in weekly sport sits at 73%, slightly higher than the average national weekly participation of 72%. Young people have 99% weekly participation which is significantly higher than the national average of 94%.

60 Female participation is increasing in many sports. Additional changing room facilities must provide space for both men’s teams and women’s teams to participate.

61 Despite Dunedin being part of one of the most active regions in New Zealand, research shows that almost all sports reported a drop in participation between 2011-2019, with only football/ soccer having an increase in participation (1%).

62 Reasons for the decline in participation include the trend away from organised sport, with an increase in gym/fitness centre memberships and a move to casual games. Many respondents said they want more opportunities for casual sports where they can turn up and play without the need to book in advance.

63 School data shows the 10 sports with the highest participation are:

Basketball	17.3%
Rugby	15.6%
Volleyball	13.5%
Netball (outdoor)	11.8%
Football (outdoor)	11.1%
Futsal	10.5%
Touch Rugby	9.6%
Hockey (outdoor)	8%
Athletics (track and field)	7.5%
Cricket (outdoor)	6.7%

64 This corresponds with life stages data from Sport New Zealand which states the main sports associated with younger age groups were Basketball, Gymnastics, Netball (outdoor), Volleyball and Football (outdoor).

65 The top three popular sports for school age females were netball (outdoor), volleyball and basketball. For school aged males, the top three were rugby, basketball, and football (outdoor).

66 Futsal, basketball, netball, and volleyball have been reporting growth, or report that growth would be achievable if other factors were addressed. This includes making improvements to the condition of facilities and providing more court space.

67 While the number of people under 24 will decrease slightly, the increase in numbers participating in basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, and futsal is likely to offset the population changes.

68 For the older age groups the highest participation sports are cycling/biking, tennis, badminton, and Bowls (Outdoor and Lawn). There may be a need for future provision of indoor space for badminton and possibly covered tennis courts. However, many older people have the advantage of being able to access the indoor spaces at off peak times of the day which will result in better utilisation of existing indoor facilities.

Otago Regional Spaces and Places Plan

69 Sport Otago, on behalf of Sport New Zealand, is developing an Otago Regional Spaces and Places Plan which will identify levels of provision of facilities across Otago, identify regionally important facilities, identify gaps in provision and inform sub-regional plans.

70 In parallel, Sport New Zealand is updating its facilities investment tool, which will help local authorities with their sport and recreational facilities investment decisions.

71 ‘Hub and Spoke’ model will be considered through the work with Sport Otago. The Edgar Centre at the centre would act as the ‘Hub’ and other new or improved facilities acting as ‘Spokes’ supporting the Hub. These spokes help to spread out sport participation across Dunedin instead of putting traffic and court space pressure on one centre. The sub-regional plan and indoor court strategy will consider the accessibility of facilities with a Zero Carbon perspective.

Dunedin Gymnastics Academy

72 Gymnastics in Dunedin is a sport which is reporting strong growth. The Dunedin Gymnastics Academy (DGA) is the largest gym club (by membership) in Dunedin.

73 DGA currently occupies two commercial lease facilities. DGA report that the facilities are no longer suitable for a range of reasons.

74 PARS has no facilities available of the size required by DGA, without displacing other user groups. One option being explored is for DCC to provide a suitable “green-fields” site and DGA to build a facility (subject to DGA securing funding). Discussions around that option are progressing favourably and if both party’s due diligence is positive, a report will be provided to Council at a later stage for a decision.

75 PARS staff continue to work closely with the Dunedin Gymnastics Academy on suitable options.

OPTIONS

76 There are no options as this is a noting report.

NEXT STEPS

77 Staff will continue to work with Sport Otago on the development of an Otago Regional Places and Spaces Plan.

78 Following the development of the Otago Regional Spaces and Places plan, PARS will commence drafting a comparable sub regional plan for Dunedin, incorporating Zero Carbon considerations. The sub-regional plan for Dunedin will guide future sports facility investment decisions.

79 Staff will continue to work with the Dunedin Gymnastics academy in identifying a suitable option for a gymnastics facility and if required, bring a report back to Council for a decision.

Signatories

Author:

Scott MacLean - Group Manager Parks and Recreation

John Brenkley - Planning and Partnerships Manager

Authoriser:

Simon Pickford - General Manager Community Services

Attachments

There are no attachments for this report.

SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS

Fit with purpose of Local Government

Sports facilities promote and encourage the social well-being of communities in the present and for the future.

Fit with strategic framework

	Contributes	Detracts	Not applicable
Social Wellbeing Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Economic Development Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Environment Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Arts and Culture Strategy	☐	☐	☒
3 Waters Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Spatial Plan	☒	☐	☐
Integrated Transport Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Parks and Recreation Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Other strategic projects/policies/plans	☐	☐	☒

Provision and development of sports and active recreation facilities contribute to a number of strategies. Sport and active recreation is acknowledged to contribute to wellbeing, the economy and getting people active.

Māori Impact Statement

Mana whenua were engaged in the development of the Sport Facilities Review 2022.

Sustainability

There are opportunities to improve, over time, the environmental impact of existing and new sports and active recreation facilities. Development of existing and new facilities that recognises sport and active recreation trends in sports participation provides an opportunity to contribute positive social outcomes through increased participation.

LTP/Annual Plan/Financial Strategy/Infrastructure Strategy

There are no implications.

Financial considerations

This is a noting report only. There are no financial considerations. Improvements being made to sports and recreation facilities are from within existing budgets.

Significance

This decision is considered low in terms of Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy.

Engagement – external

External engagement was held with Aukaha, Sport Otago, Sports facility providers (The Edgar Centre, Ice Stadium), High Performance Sport NZ, Dunedin Venues Limited, various sport and active recreation national governing bodies, Halberg Disability Sport Foundation, Parafed Otago, Blind Sport, Special Olympics, Dunedin Gymnastics Academy, University of Otago sport and recreation academics, Unipol, Otago University Students Association, Otago Regional Council, Ministry of Education, Dunedin Amenities Society and members of the Public.

Engagement - internal

Internal engagement was held with Communications and Marketing, Events and the Youth Council.

Risks: Legal/Health and Safety etc.

There are no risks identified with the recommended option.

Conflict of Interest

There are no known conflicts of interest.

Community Boards

There are indoor and outdoor sports facilities in every Community Board area. This report will be of interest to all Boards.

Council

22 February 2023

Unsealed Road Maintenance - Dust Suppression

Department: Transport

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

1 This report describes how DCC currently manages and funds dust suppression on unsealed roads and presents to Council different funding options to continue the delivery of dust suppression.

RECOMMENDATIONS

That the Council:

a) Notes that Dunedin City Council will replace the current bio-oil dust suppression with Otta sealing.

b) Considers how to fund dust suppression activities on unsealed roads.

BACKGROUND

2 Airborne dust from unsealed roads can cause negative issues for residences. Dust may settle on roofs and enter rainwater collection systems, be blown in open windows and doors, and/or soil washing on clothes lines.

3 Dust can be harmful to human health by causing skin irritation, eye irritation and have adverse effects on the respiratory system.

4 Recycled motor oil is an effective dust suppressant for unsealed roads. The gravel absorbs the oil, preventing the dust from becoming airborne. Supply of this product is plentiful and inexpensive.

5 Recycled motor oil was used by the Dunedin City Council (DCC) as a dust suppressant up to and including the 2019/2020 financial year. The cost of the recycled oil and its application was approximately $110,000/year.

6 Updates to the Otago Regional Council Regional Plan: Waste for Otago (the Waste Plan) were made in 2022, which changed using recycled motor oil for dust suppression from a permitted (but discouraged) activity, to a prohibited activity.

7 DCC stopped using recycled motor oil in 2020 before the adoption of the Waste Plan changes.

8 Dust suppression is not subsidised by Waka Kotahi and is currently funded through Transport operational budgets. The yearly budget for dust suppression is $110,000 (2022/23 and 2023/24).

9 Staff maintain a Dust Suppression Register, which lists the locations where dust suppression is applied. The DCC website outlines the process for residents to apply for dust suppression outside their property (refer Attachment A). The requests must be made before 30 September each year. Treatment is generally applied once a year at the beginning of summer (before the driest weather of the year).

10 There are 159 locations currently registered. 145 locations serve a single adjacent residence. 13 locations serve multiple adjacent residences (121 residences in total across the 13 locations). The remaining location is a DCC-owned urban access track at Tahuna Park, which is next to the Dunedin Holiday Park.

11 The current register includes 22.75km of road length or 94,440m² of dust suppression.

DISCUSSION

12 There are several non-petroleum products for dust suppression in the New Zealand market. The products are proprietary and can include resins, tall oil emulsions, molasses, hygroscopic chemicals, animal fats, and vegetable oils. The industry refers to these as ‘bio-oil’.

13 Staff have conducted two years of bio-oils trials. The trials have been used to assess the ongoing cost to deliver dust suppression services. No bio-oil has been proven to be as effective in suppressing dust as recycled motor oil. Recycled motor oil last longer and is better at binding dust into the pavement.

14 The cost of undertaking bio-oil dust suppression was $386,890 in the 2020/21 financial year, and $388,821 in 2021/22 against a yearly budget of $110,000. The overspend for these years was managed by underspends in other transport maintenance activities.

15 The 2022/23 forecast cost is $540,000, due to increased costs for procuring bio-oil products.

16 Due to increasing costs to deliver dust suppression activities, staff have considered alternative options as Transport operational budgets are no longer able to absorb the increased costs to deliver this service.

17 An alternative method for dust control on unsealed roads is ‘Otta Sealing’. This option can provide asset and amenity level-of-service improvement. Otta sealing involves the application of sprayed bitumen-emulsion and spread crushed aggregate.

18 The approximate financial costs of the different dust suppression activities are:

a) Bio-Oil $4-5/m²

b) Otta Seal $15-20/m²

c) Recycled Oil (no longer used) $1.15/m²

19 The cost of Otta sealing is approximately four times that of applying bio-oil dust suppressant, however Otta seal lasts longer (approximately five years and often more). Otta sealing typically has a lower overall lifecycle cost than applying bio-oil dust suppressant each summer.

20 An Otta seal provides year-round benefit as a dust suppressant, whereas the effectiveness of bio-oil decreases after 3 months from application.

21 Staff were interested to progress with this option and consulted with neighbouring Councils to see how dust suppression was managed in their area. A summary is as follows:

Council	Product	Funding
Waitaki District Council	Otta sealing on request	100% funded by resident
Clutha District Council	Otta sealing on request	50% funded by resident
Central Otago District Council	Bio-oil and Otta sealing	100% funded by ratepayers
Southland District Council	Otta sealing on request	50% by resident + $65 application fee

22 Other neighbouring Councils have, or are in the process of, moving away from bio-oil application to Otta sealing due to the lower lifecycle cost.

23 The Councils consulted also indicated a reduction in the amount of dust suppression activities when cost-sharing arrangements are implemented. Many residents elect not to meet the funding requirements to continue their dust suppression.

24 Staff plan to transition from bio-oil application on unsealed roads to Otta sealing because it provides year-round dust suppression at a lower overall lifecycle cost.

25 To spread the higher upfront cost of applying an Otta seal (approximately four times greater than bio-oil), staff will transition to Otta seals over a four to five year period (based on the recommended option). This would mean some residents who receive dust suppression will receive bio-oil for up to five years.

26 The savings from transitioning to Otta sealing will start to be realised approximately four years into the transition when all of the dust suppression sites had been Otta sealed. Savings are estimated to be $80,000 per annum at current demand for dust suppression. This does not account for any drop (or increase) in demand.

Community Board Consultation

27 The majority of unsealed road dust suppression is covered by Community Board areas (refer Appendix D for further detail). Community Boards were asked for feedback on funding options in late 2022. Their feedback is summarised as follows:

Community Board	Support for Cost Sharing Options
Community Board	50% funded by applicant	0% funded by applicant	100% funded by the applicant
Mosgiel-Taieri		ü
Otago Peninsula		ü
Saddle Hill	ü
Strath Taieri		ü
Waikouaiti Coast		ü
West Harbour	ü

OPTIONS

28 Four options are presented to Council to consider to maintain the delivery of unsealed road dust suppression.

Option One (Recommended) – Applicants fund 50% of the $540,000 cost of dust suppression

29 This option is to implement a 50/50 cost share of bio-oil and/or Otta sealing dust suppression between an applicant and the DCC, sharing equally $270,000 of the yearly cost.

30 The applicant and DCC will assess and agree the area of suppression, after which staff will quote the cost to the applicant (50% of the total cost). Typical costs to an applicant for a 100m long application would be approximately $750-$1,500 per year. The applicant can accept (or reject) the quote before DCC contractors apply the dust suppressant.

Advantages

· DCC operational budgets for dust suppression will be shared amongst a greater number of applicants compared to Option 2.

· Residents receive 50% subsidised dust suppression outside their dwelling.

· Those directly benefitting from dust suppression will be contributing to the cost.

Disadvantages

· Approximately 260 households will incur half the cost for dust suppression (if they opt in).

· Dust suppression activities could be difficult to administer on roads with multiple dwellings. 100m long sections of application will ‘overlap’. Disagreements could arise between neighbouring properties and these may need to be mediated by Staff.

· Dust nuisance issues will occur for those residents who chose not to fund dust suppression activities.

· Staff time to administer the Dust Suppression Register and coordinate the works with residents will increase

· Increased budget of $160,000 will be required to fund dust suppression activities.

Option Two – Status Quo – DCC Fund 100% of dust suppression activities within the existing budget of $110,000.

Advantages

· Residents receive fully subsidised dust suppression outside their dwelling.

· There is no increase to Transport operational budgets.

Disadvantages

· There would be a reduction in the amount of dust suppression undertaken.

· Funding for bio-oil and Otta sealing dust suppression is subsidised by all rate payers, of whom the majority will not receive benefits from it.

· Dust suppression activities will be difficult to administer. Staff will be required to administer which residents do and do not receive dust suppression. Disagreements are likely and these will need to be mediated by Staff.

· Staff time to administer the Dust Suppression Register will increase.

Option Three – DCC Fund 100% of existing dust suppression activities at a cost of $540,000.

31 This option will require Transport operational budgets to be increased by $430,000, which would be needed to continue the existing dust suppression activities.

Advantages

· Residents receive fully subsidised dust suppression outside their dwelling.

· Staff time to administer the Dust Suppression Register will remain neutral.

Disadvantages

· Funding for bio-oil and Otta sealing dust suppression is subsidised by all rate payers, of whom the majority will not receive benefits from it.

· An increased budget of $430,000 would be required to fund existing dust suppression activities.

Option Four – Applicants fund 100% of dust suppression activities

32 This option would require applicants to fund 100% of bio-oil and/or Otta sealing dust suppression.

33 The applicant and DCC will assess and agree the area of suppression, after which staff will quote the cost to the applicant (100% of the total cost). Typical costs to an applicant for a 100m long application would be approximately $1500-$2,500 per year. The applicant can accept (or reject) the quote before DCC contractors apply the dust suppressant.

Advantages

· DCC funding for dust suppression would cease, which would provide a $110,000 per annum Transport operational budget saving.

· The cost of dust suppression is paid for by those who directly benefit from it.

Disadvantages

· Approximately 260 households will incur the full cost for dust suppression (if they opt in).

· Staff time to administer the Dust Suppression Register and coordinate the works with residents will increase

· Dust nuisance issues will occur for those residents who chose not to fund dust suppression activities

NEXT STEPS

34 Staff will transition dust suppression activities from bio-oil to Otta sealing. The transition period will vary depending on the decision of Council.

35 The draft Transport budget will be updated to reflect the decision of Council

36 Staff will develop clear guidelines for dust suppression implementation to communicate to applicants how the dust suppression process is managed.

Signatories

Author:	Ben Hogan - Transport Delivery Manager
Authoriser:	Simon Drew - General Manager Infrastructure and Development

Attachments

	Title	Page
⇩a	DCC Website Snip	78
⇩b	Clutha District Council Website	79
⇩c	Central Otago Council Website	80
⇩d	Area of Dust Suppression Activity by Community Board area	81

SUMMARY OF CONSIDERATIONS

Fit with purpose of Local Government

This decision enables democratic local decision making and action by, and on behalf of communities.

Fit with strategic framework

	Contributes	Detracts	Not applicable
Social Wellbeing Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Economic Development Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Environment Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Arts and Culture Strategy	☐	☐	☒
3 Waters Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Spatial Plan	☐	☐	☒
Integrated Transport Strategy	☒	☐	☐
Parks and Recreation Strategy	☐	☐	☒
Other strategic projects/policies/plans	☐	☐	☒

The Integrated Transport Strategy prescribes Dunedin as having an integrated, affordable, responsive, effective, and safe transport network for all modes. This report presents options for funding dust suppression activities.

Māori Impact Statement

Mana whenua have not been consulted with in the preparation of this report.

Sustainability

Waste oil use has already ceased, which has eliminated an environmental concern with dust suppression activities.

If dust suppression activity is reduced, there will be increased airborne dust on unsealed roads adjacent to properties that once received dust suppression.

LTP/Annual Plan / Financial Strategy /Infrastructure Strategy

The financial implications for this Annual Plan decision are set out in the report. The impact on rates will depend on the option adopted.

Financial considerations

The financial implications of this decision are set out in the report.

Significance

This decision is considered low in terms of the Council's Significance and Engagement Policy.

Engagement – external

Other neighbouring Councils were consulted in the preparation of this report.

Engagement - internal

Parks and Recreation, and the Transport Department were engaged in the development of this report.

Risks: Legal / Health and Safety etc.

There are health risks associated with breathing airborne dust. However, the DCC are not proposing to stop dust suppression, but consider the way in which the service is maintained.

Conflict of Interest

There is no known conflict of interest.

Community Boards

Community Boards were consulted in the preparation of this report.

Mayor	Mayor Jules Radich
Deputy Mayor	Cr Sophie Barker
Members	Cr Bill Acklin	Cr David Benson-Pope
	Cr Christine Garey	Cr Kevin Gilbert
	Cr Carmen Houlahan	Cr Marie Laufiso
	Cr Cherry Lucas	Cr Mandy Mayhem
	Cr Jim O'Malley	Cr Lee Vandervis
	Cr Steve Walker	Cr Brent Weatherall
	Cr Andrew Whiley

	Title	Page
⇩a	Elected Members Interest Register	7
⇩b	Executive Leadership Team Interest Register	15