1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,600 Speaker 1: Now Wellington Council has voted in favor of having a 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: look at whether they should give businesses on Wellington's Thornton 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:09,640 Speaker 1: Key a micro grant. This would help them stay afloat 4 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:13,920 Speaker 1: during ongoing roadworks and disturbances. The microground grant is worth 5 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: just fifteen hundred dollars. Paul Robinson is the chairman of 6 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:20,680 Speaker 1: the Thornton Key Collective, which represents the area's business as 7 00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:24,200 Speaker 1: hat Paul high heather, fifteen hundred bucks doesn't sound like 8 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:25,319 Speaker 1: a lot. Is it going to help? 9 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,720 Speaker 2: Well, it won't help. It's just a distraction from the 10 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:35,919 Speaker 2: real issues, which are what well. The real issues are 11 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 2: that businesses are facing a downturn along Thornton Key that 12 00:00:42,920 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 2: is far more severe than any downturn that's been caused 13 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:53,720 Speaker 2: by the economic circumstances. We presented a petition to Wellington 14 00:00:53,800 --> 00:00:57,279 Speaker 2: City Council two years ago asking them to do an 15 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:01,920 Speaker 2: external review of the likely packs of this roading project 16 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:06,559 Speaker 2: on businesses and they refuse to do it. They turned 17 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 2: us down. The economic consequences have been vastly in excess 18 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 2: of what anybody anticipated, so we present another petition asking 19 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:19,800 Speaker 2: them to do that and also look at other issues 20 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:23,320 Speaker 2: such as the pipes that run under Thornton Key that 21 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:27,839 Speaker 2: need replacing and looking actually at the original business case, 22 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:29,199 Speaker 2: but we get knocked back again. 23 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:32,400 Speaker 1: So the disruption that's caused you is the removal of 24 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: the car parks and all the digging up of the 25 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: ground and all that kind of stuff. 26 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:36,399 Speaker 2: Yeah, yep. 27 00:01:36,760 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 1: And how much do you reckon it's cost your business? 28 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 2: Well, we own one of the old historic buildings. My 29 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 2: family has got the old Wall Store down in Thornton 30 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 2: Key and that's been a wonderful community over the last 31 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:55,280 Speaker 2: twenty years and it's never really had any vacancy. But 32 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 2: now you know, we've got four vacancies out of the 33 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 2: twenty odd tendancies in there, and more will emerge in 34 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:02,920 Speaker 2: the coming year. 35 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: And have we done the numbers? Have you any idea 36 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: how much this has cost you? 37 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 2: Oh? Look, I could hazard a guess. We will know 38 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:15,520 Speaker 2: when the qvs come out, but it's millions. Well that's 39 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:18,079 Speaker 2: a twenty million dollar building and who knows whether it's 40 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 2: had thirty forty percent of its value knocked off, So 41 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:25,560 Speaker 2: you're taking multiples of millions. Paul. 42 00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: How long is this this disruption supposed to carry on for? 43 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 2: Well, it should be finished by the middle of next year. 44 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 2: The difficulty we've had with that is that the communication 45 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 2: has said you'll only be disrupted for twelve weeks while 46 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:47,120 Speaker 2: work happens outside your building. But the reality is, for 47 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 2: anybody who goes down Thornton Key, you see we've been 48 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 2: orange cone orange coned basically from our navel to our neck. 49 00:02:57,480 --> 00:03:01,400 Speaker 2: How long? Oh, for the whole eighteen months? 50 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,080 Speaker 1: So are you telling me? So? They've given you fifteen 51 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 1: hundred dollars for eighteen months worth of disruptions, not even 52 00:03:08,520 --> 00:03:10,320 Speaker 1: one thousand bucks a month? 53 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:12,160 Speaker 2: Oh? Hell no? 54 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:14,040 Speaker 1: What is this money supposed to do? 55 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 2: Like? 56 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:17,080 Speaker 1: Who were they kidding? What is fifteen hundred dollars supposed 57 00:03:17,120 --> 00:03:17,359 Speaker 1: to do? 58 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:19,919 Speaker 2: Well? I know what I'm going to If we get 59 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:22,080 Speaker 2: fifteen hundred bucks, I probably should share it with my 60 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:24,919 Speaker 2: brother and two sisters. But actually probably what I will 61 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:27,639 Speaker 2: do is I'll probably go down to the Capital restaurant 62 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:29,240 Speaker 2: and have a fifteen hundred dollar lunch. 63 00:03:29,280 --> 00:03:31,240 Speaker 1: I think, why don't you spend it on an advert 64 00:03:31,280 --> 00:03:34,000 Speaker 1: in the local paper telling everybody how annoying the counsel is. 65 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:38,680 Speaker 2: We have spent a lot of time on social media 66 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 2: telling the public how annoyed we are with the council 67 00:03:44,200 --> 00:03:46,120 Speaker 2: and we have a huge following. If I put a 68 00:03:46,160 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 2: post up tomorrow, I'll get six or seven thousand people 69 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:52,080 Speaker 2: acknowledging that post. 70 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: Paul, thank you for your time, best of luck dealing 71 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: with these numpties. It's Paul Robinson, Thorndon Key Collective Chairman. 72 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: For more from Hither to plasye Allen Drive. 73 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 2: Listen live to news talks. 74 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 1: It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast 75 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.