If the current town planning of Timaru goes ahead then many of the Motels along state highway one on Evans Street Timaru will not survive.
4 Lane Highway
The Timaru District Council and Transit NZ are planning to turn Evans Street on State Highway one into 4 lanes. This will speed up the flow of traffic and bring the traffic in closer to the Motels which will make turning into the Motels pretty much impossible.
A motel owner was recently complaining to me about it and wanted to know why they couldn’t build a toll bridge across the water from Washdyke to the Port.
My answer to him was blunt and direct. That is exactly what I was going to do if I became the Mayor of Timaru but you did not even vote for me.
Don’t come to me with your problems go and see the blonde lady that you did vote for.
Hotels
If you can believe everything you read in the Timaru Herald then Timaru is about to get 3 new luxury hotels with the first one about to be started before Christmas. The first proposed Hotel is to be built on Elizabeth Street and is being built by a Company that is believed to be owned and administered by local accountants Hubbard and Churcher.
The Sea Breaze Motels on the Bay hill are owned by the Lambie family who are dairy farmers. Their motels are to be demolished and replaced by another boutique hotel.
If it finally ever happens the local solicitors of Raymond Sullivan McGlashan intend to demolish the Hydro Grand Hotel and build themselves some luxury hotel apartments.
At the moment many of the more modern motels are relying on the corporate market but if 3 new modern hotels are built then they will surely lose some of that lucrative corporate market.
Motor Homes
Motor homes and camper vans are replacing the motel style of holiday. People today are finding it far too expensive to have a holiday staying in motels and are taking their motel with them on wheels. Local councils are encouraging this type of holiday by providing camp sites with serviced toilets and special waist disposal units.
Attitudes of Motel owners
If many of the Timaru motels do close because of the councils poor planning decisions then they have no one to blame but themselves. I have tried on several occasions to help them fight the bureaucrats but they have always turned me down.
Unless they change their attitudes, accept some leadership and fight against the way Timaru is being planned then they will just have lie in the bed that they have made for themselves.
