Lake Wiritoa will be closed on Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, April 19, for the Waterski Club Championships Tournament.

Opus, on behalf of the Minister of Education, gives notice of its requirement for a designation for a public work.

The site to which the requirement applies is as follows:
The Notice of Requirement is for a designation for Whanganui Awa School on Whanganui River Road, Ranana. The site is described as follows:

The nature of the proposed work is:
To designate the existing Whanganui Awa School, previously known as Ranana School, to provide for education purposes.

The effects that the public work will have on the environment, and the ways in which any adverse effects will be mitigated, are:

Visual: The land subject to this Notice is currently occupied by a primary school. The designation itself will not change the visual character of the site. However, future redevelopment of one of the school buildings has the potential to improve the site visually.

Noise: The school is an accepted part of the community. Fewer children now attend the school than in the past which generates less noise and it is unlikely that the roll will increase significantly in the future. There are currently 17 students at the school. Noise generated at the school will include playground noise, grounds maintenance noise, people talking, vehicles, school bell, sports events, kapa haka etc. The noise will be concentrated between the hours of 8.30am and 3.30pm; however, there may be times when the school is used for meetings and community events where noise may also be generated.

Traffic: There will be no change in the number of vehicles entering the site. Vehicle movements entering and exiting the site are expected to be minimal.

Lighting: No lighting of the site is proposed.

Alternative sites, routes and methods that have been considered to the following extent:
Alternative sites have not been considered given that the site is owned by the Ministry of Education and is currently a school.

The public work and designation are reasonably necessary for achieving the objectives of the territorial authority because:
The Notice of Requirement for the designation is required to provide for the on-going use and reasonable needs of the school in order to meet the educational needs of the community. The designation is required to apply to the school site so that the school can be planned and used in an integrated manner on an ongoing basis, with an appropriate legal status under the Resource Management Act.

The following consultation has been undertaken with parties that are likely to be affected:
The Ministry of Education owns the land to be designated and therefore there are no directly affected persons. However, out of courtesy, a letter providing information about the designation was sent to the local marae, Ruaka Marae.

The Notice of Requirement may be inspected at the Wanganui District Council offices during normal office hours (8.00am to 5.00pm). Please contact Genevieve Doube (06) 349 0001, ext 8168, if you have any questions about the requirement.

Any person may make a submission on the requirement. You may do so by sending a written submission to the Chief Executive, Wanganui District Council, PO Box 637, Wanganui. The submission must be in Form 21. Copies of this form are available from the Customer Services Counter, Wanganui District Council, 101 Guyton Street, Wanganui.

Submissions close at 4.00pm on Wednesday, 13 May 2009.

Public notice is hereby given in accordance with clause 7 of the First Schedule of the Resource Management Act 1991 (The Act) that the Wanganui District Council has prepared a summary of submissions made to:

Proposed Plan Change 15: Central City Heritage Protection

Proposed Plan Change 15 seeks to add buildings to the existing District Plan Appendix A Heritage Resources Inventory. This will protect the buildings from demolition, relocation or significant alteration.

Copies of all the submissions received and a summary of the decisions requested by submitters to the proposed Plan Change are available for public inspection, during normal working hours (8.00am to 5.00pm), at the Customer Service Desk, Wanganui District Council, 101 Guyton Street, and at the District Library, Queens Park, Wanganui.

Wanganui District Council now invites further written submissions in support of, or in opposition to, those submissions already made.

Further submissions may only be in support of, or in opposition to, submissions already made to the proposed Plan Change 15. Further submissions must be in writing, and be in the prescribed form, which is available from Wanganui District Council, and addressed to:

Wanganui District Council
PO Box 637
Wanganui
or fax to (06) 349 0523

The last day for further submissions in support of, or opposition to, those submissions already made is 4.00pm, Friday, 8 May 2009.

Please note:
You must send a copy of your further submission to the person or organisation whose submission you are supporting or opposing, within five working days of sending your submission to Wanganui District Council.

Following the close of further submissions, if required, Wanganui District Council will then hold a Hearing of the submissions. All persons who make a submission or further submission and who requested to be heard will be advised of the date, time and place of the Hearing. The council will then make decisions on the submissions and further submissions. Any submitter or further submitter may refer the decision on their submission to the Environment Court.

If you have any queries or require further information please contact Clive Aim at Wanganui District Council, phone (06) 349 0001 ext. 8102.

Wanganui Wastewater Separation Project
(Contractor Wanganui Drainage Contractors Ltd)

Bignell Street from Kings Avenue to Saunders Place will be closed until 5.00pm Friday, 24 April 2009, for the purpose of pipelaying. This is an extension to the previously advertised closure.

The work will be done in two stages; Stage One will be completed before Stage Two starts.

Vehicle access to residential properties on the closed section will be available at all times unless advised by the contractor.

A signposted detour will not be provided.

Wanganui Wastewater Separation Project
(Contractor B Bullock & Co Ltd)

Gonville Avenue from Heads Road to Tawa Street will be closed until 7.00pm Thursday, 18 June 2009, for the purpose of pipelaying.

Vehicle access to residential properties on the closed section will be available at all times unless advised by the contractor.

Road users are requested to follow the sign-posted detours whilst the closure is in operation.

Wanganui Wastewater Separation Project
(Contractor I D Loader Ltd)

Gonville Avenue from Koromiko Road to Owen Street will be closed until 5.00pm Friday, 24 April 2009, for the purpose of pipelaying. The closed section will be open during the Easter period - 10 April 2009 to 13 April 2009.

Vehicle access to residential properties on the closed section will be available at all times unless advised by the contractor.

Vehicle access to Wanganui Garden Centre will be available at all times.

Road users are requested to follow the sign-posted detours whilst the closure is in operation.

The income threshold for rates rebate is $21,180 and the maximum allowable rebate is $530.

Eligibility for a rates rebate is determined by:

• the ratepayer's income for the previous tax year (year ended 31 March 2008)
• the amount of rates (both Wanganui District Council & Horizons Regional Council)
• the number of dependents

To assist you with your application, please bring in the following:

• evidence of all gross income for the tax year ended 31 March 2008 (this includes income from interest)
• your Wanganui District Council rates assessment for 2008/09
• your Horizons Regional Council rates assessment for 2008/09

Ratepayers need to apply to the Wanganui District Council for a rates rebate. Those who are eligible will then either have their rates reduced by the amount of the rebate, or receive a refund if the rates have been paid in full for the year. The Department of Internal Affairs reimburses the Council from Crown funds.