Debbie Porteous

The top speed on the Otago Peninsula will be 80kmh from March, after the Dunedin City Council this week approved sweeping speed-limit reductions in the area.

Last year, 4000 people had their say on what they wanted Dunedin to be like in 30 years' time. Now, having produced a 30- to 40-year plan for the city, the city council is working on a more detailed 10-year district plan to lay out the rules for what exactly can be done and built on Dunedin land. When complete, it will replace existing development rules with new ones that aim to achieve the vision of the spatial plan. Debbie Porteous takes a look at what that vision is, and how it is going to be achieved.

Design work and consultation on the $4.5 million southern commuter routes in Dunedin's strategic cycling network have begun, with physical work expected to start early next year.

The summer of 2013 is looking hot at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin, with 1960s supergroup the Hollies becoming the latest addition to a line-up of sports and entertainment expected to provide an economic boost for the city.

This year's $160,000 Dunedin City Council industry project fund budget will be allocated to the conveners of the eight headline projects outlined in the Economic Development Strategy (EDS) instead of other Dunedin companies.

The Dunedin City Council's applications to renew its consents to discharge stormwater into the sea around the city have attracted seven submissions, including some from farmers who say city people should have to abide by the same rules as their rural cousins.

Concerns about what is happening with the Dunedin courthouse are mounting at the same rate as the cost of not fixing it.

Better late than never was the sentiment expressed by Dunedin city councillors yesterday as they approved a modified scheme for ratepayers to borrow money from the council to retro-install insulation or heating.

Questions and suggestions were the order of the day for the manager of the Dunedin Chinese Garden, Margo Reid, when she appeared before city councillors yesterday to discuss the garden's financial future.

Major earthworks to repair the cracked dam at the Ross Creek Reservoir will begin in the summer of 2013-14.

Dunedin city councillors will have yet another opportunity to debate future vehicular access to John Wilson Ocean Dr on Monday, council staff recommending they stick with the decision they made last year to limit vehicle access to a few hours a day.

Another $70,000 of ratepayers' money has been made available to people wanting to restore and/or reuse heritage buildings in Dunedin's warehouse precinct, in the latest of a broad suite of projects to revitalise the area.

A warning has been issued after two underground tattooists in Dunedin were shut down over the past month for operating from substandard premises.

Technology usually used on wharves and ships is being used for the first time by the Dunedin City Council, to stop a coastal bridge degenerating.

Work is about to begin on a plan to improve and get the best benefit from digital connections across Otago.