Page 4284 - Week 14 - Thursday, 24 October 1991
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If you put a monitor out there you will find that Civic is busiest between 12 o'clock and 2 o'clock during the week. It is less busy at weekends and on Friday night shopping. It is not the desirable way to be. At night-time it should be quite busy, as earlier speakers have pointed out. Therefore, I think that in the near future this Assembly will be grappling with proposals, will be considering the merits of higher density living closer to Civic and other town centres. I will not give any concluded opinion here, but it is a matter that we should attend to very closely.
Some mention has been made of skateboards - a matter that the Standing Committee on Social Policy considered. We had sympathy for skateboarders, as Mr Stevenson indicated. We do not want to drive them out of the place. I think we acknowledged even then, 18 months ago, that it was not a fad that was going to pass away. It seems to be here to stay. For that reason, of course, various governments have provided skateboard facilities elsewhere. I do have a complaint about the noise they make. I am less concerned about the physical side of it, the affront, although I acknowledge that some people are naturally very concerned about it; but if I were a shopkeeper in Civic I do not know how I could stand that constant noise.
I am surprised that we have not had a complaint come through, as we did about a certain Scottish preacher, about the noise they continue to make. Maybe that should be a path that someone follows, because it certainly is very distracting. I agree that the skateboarders are generally quite responsible. I am not sure that Civic is really the place for them; but, then again, we balance that against the desire not to hound people away from places. It is a matter, I am sure, that will continue to arouse some interest in this Assembly.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I would hope that within the next few years, when the physical heart of Civic is improved by knocking down that substation, if we can attract more people into Civic, it will truly become a very wonderful part of our city.
MR PROWSE (3.51): I agree wholeheartedly with the thrust of this debate. I take up Mr Wood's proposal that, with the flowers and the arbours, et cetera, during the spring, and particularly spring and summer, the area is more attractive. But in winter, when it is cold and miserable and grey, we need to brighten it up considerably. I suggest that brightly-coloured banners - tie-dyed or whatever - may be one simple and very cost-effective approach to brighten up that area. Also, there could be coloured lights at night. It really is a grey, depressing area at night, particularly in winter, and I think we can do a lot to improve it.
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