KiwiRail discards local community

Parnell residents and businesses are reeling after KiwiRail failed this week to front at a heated community board meeting to discuss their plans to turn prized Parnell into a bus park for seven years.

“With over 1,000 residents and businesses signing a petition against KiwiRail’s plan, you would think KiwiRail’s management would have turned up to engage with a key local community,” said Debbie Harkness, Manager Parnell Inc.

“Instead, they are ignoring a groundswell of opposition and are even abusing the Official Information Act by delaying the release of documents outlining their plans, which has resulted in a formal complaint to the Ombudsman.”

“As a state-owned entity, the behavior of KiwiRail is deeply disturbing and reeks of corporate arrogance,” said Ms Harkness who added that “they have greatly underestimated the local community’s feelings against dumping 100 buses in historic Parnell.”

KiwiRail, along with Infratil, want to park over 100 buses behind Parnell each evening forcing traffic lights to be installed on Parnell Rise. Resident’s on-street parking would be lost and the area would be surrounded by high wire fences and floodlit at night, while residents will be woken up at 5.30am by buses trying to get through narrow streets onto Parnell Road.

“The entire Parnell community want this site developed into a world-leading architectural project centered around the existing Mainline Steam depot building and creating a future destination train station for Parnell,” said Ms Harkness

Instead KiwiRail now faces renewed opposition and anger at the arrogance being displayed by a company that is actually owned by the people.

ENDS

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