Consultant urban designer Kobus Mentz reviewed the contentious plans for George St after the council reconvened its central city advisory group in July.
Council staff are now recommending councillors quash a previous endorsement to make George St a southbound one-way street.
Councillors will be asked instead to consider approving work on a design for a two-way pedestrian-friendly street that could, if desired, be converted to a one-way street.
The staff recommendation is based on a report from Mr Mentz that followed meetings with the council’s advisory group in August and October and a survey of interested parties.
In his 21-page report, to be considered by the council’s planning and environment committee on Tuesday, Mr Mentz makes recommendations for the retail street’s design.
They are either a two-way street design with an environmentally friendly public transport service, or a one-way street without public transport, as initially envisaged.
A one-way street should be designed so it could be converted to a two-way street in future if an appropriate public transport service became available, he said.
Mr Mentz reported the advisory group valued a flexible design, the ability for traffic to move through the area, developing a quality public space where plantings and seating was available, extending the scope of the project into the Octagon, including an option for an electric bus service, and providing short-stay on-street parking.
The provision of 45, largely P20 and P30 car parks was also recommended, along with better access to nearby public parking.
There was wide support for upgrading George St and for a design that improved accessibility for pedestrians and the ability for road users to share the street, Mr Mentz said.
If councillors give the go-ahead for work on a detailed business case and design for a two-way street, work would begin early next year, the staff report to the committee said.
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Comments
Good to see they found somebody with a working brain, a rarity indeed when it comes to the council and the so called consultants that pretend to run this city, this stupidity must end.
It is not rocket science is it Hawkins and your little team of yes men and women __"A one-way street should be designed so it could be converted to a two-way street in future if an appropriate public transport service became available" Wake up Fix the drains, below the ground and put it back to what it is now - save Dunedin millions of dollars and fix more drains else wherewith the left over cash. and well you are at it have a collection from your yes people and pay the coin back you have wasted in drawing out this process and wasting yet again more coin.
Don't fix what isn't broken, it seems hawkins and his yes men intend to do just that, fixing what isn't broken to suit his ideological "green ideals" without consulting what the ratepayers (who pay his wages) want.
Upgrade the buried infrastructure in George Street. Salvaging the existing footpath pavers for re-use. Then new kerbs and asphalt for the carriageway. Save around 30-40%. Save 50% plus on consultants fees be designing in house like they would have done before they sold City Consultants.