Town Centres and Connectors
Transformation
ISSUE 13,
AUGUST
2016
Your town centre is the
heart of your community
TOWN CENTRES UPDATE
We want our town centres to be vibrant, diverse
and thriving – places where people want to spend
time and where they can access the services they
need safely. The town centres project is about
using the opportunities created by the Expressway
to transform and improve the Paraparaumu and
Waikanae town centres. Work has been scheduled
in a 14-year programme of activity to achieve the
transformation.
THANKS FOR ALL YOUR FEEDBACK!
We had a great turnout to our open sessions in June,
and received more than 450 comments on the concept
designs for the Paraparaumu and Waikanae town centre
building block projects. We’ve analysed all the feedback
and will use this to inform the detailed designs.
PARAPARAUMU
For Paraparaumu town centre we invited feedback on
three building block projects:
• Turning SH1 into a local road and improving its
connection to the transport hub
•
Kāpiti Lights
•
The Coastlands and civic precinct connection with
the new retail pods.
Key themes and comments from the feedback:
• Council generally has the priority right in seizing
the opportunity with the Expressway opening
and SH1 becoming a local road and working with
Coastlands and Kāpiti Lights to improve public
space connectivity to develop a better link to
Rimu Road
•
•
People like the design, in particular the better
connection to the transport hub, and are positive
that ‘things are happening’, like the retail pods on
Rimu Road. However, there is interest in how this
influences parking and traffic flows and a feeling
that this town centre is still car dominated
A range of specific comments was received
regarding accessibility, outdoor space, landscaping,
paving and furniture that will help in developing
detailed designs.
You can read the summary of feedback and our
response on our website here.
WAIKANAE
For Waikanae town centre we invited feedback on
building block projects that aim to improve connections
from SH1 to the town centre.
These included:
• The Te Moana Road intersection upgrade
•
Turning SH1 into a local road in proximity to
Elizabeth Street
•
Turning SH1 into a local road and linking to the
transport hub.
Key themes and comments from the feedback:
• People understand the immediate focus on SH1
becoming a local road given its certainty – however,
there is a desire to view the full town centre master
plan around Mahara Place to see it all working
together
•
They like the design, in particular the better
connection to the transport hub – however, there is
concern about how traffic flows will work around
Te Moana Road and the Elizabeth Street and Ngaio
Road intersections, and a local concern about
safety along Marae Lane – particularly with the new
Greater Wellington Regional Council car park
•
A range of specific comments was received
regarding accessibility, outdoor space, landscaping,
paving and furniture that will help in
developing detailed designs.
You can read the summary of
feedback and our response on
our website here.
YOUR
TOWN CENTRE
IS THE HEART
OF YOUR
COMMUNITY
NEXT STEPS
We’re continuing to work up detailed designs for the six
building block projects mentioned above.
We plan to engage directly with those businesses
affected by the above projects as we develop the
detailed designs in the next six months.
Discussions with the NZ Transport Agency for SH1
work, the Te Āti Awa Town Centres Working Group and
other key stakeholders will also be ongoing.
We will be bringing concept designs for the next set
of building block projects (predominantly Waikanae
projects) to you for comment next year. We will keep you
posted on the timing of this.
An artist’s impression of Coastland’s
new retail pod on Rimu Road.
KĀPITI ROAD IMPROVEMENTS
There is plenty of activity happening along Kāpiti Road as
part of the Expressway work. We are taking advantage
of this opportunity to do some town centre project
improvements at the same time to provide safer pedestrian
and cyclist access to and from the centre of town.
Construction work to widen the footpath on the south
side of Kāpiti Road and create a shared path between
Arawhata Road and Ngahina Street begins on 22
August. We’ll also be installing on-road cycleways and
working with our friends at Electra to remove power
poles and lay electricity cables underground on both
sides of Kāpiti Road along the same stretch.
The work is expected to be completed by Christmas.
You can find out more on our website.
STRIDE ‘N’ RIDE
The Kāpiti Stride ‘n’ Ride project will deliver a $5
million package of shared path improvements between
Paekākāriki and Waikanae in the next three years.
These improvements will make it easier to get around
Kāpiti safely by bike and on foot and will provide better
connections to and between key commuter corridors,
our town centres and the Kāpiti Expressway Cycleway.
Work to build new paths and cycle lanes is being
delivered in stages. We have already completed two
projects at Poplar Ave in Raumati and Tilley Road in
Paekākāriki and work in the Mazengarb corridor is
almost complete.
This month we will be kicking off construction works to
build a shared path on Kāpiti Road between Arawhata Road
and Ngahina Street (mentioned above) and deliver cycleway
improvements on Otaihanga Road and Ratanui Road.
REVITALISING THE RIMU ROAD,
CIVIC PRECINCT AREA
We welcome Coastland’s decision to expand its retail
area to include a two-storey building with shops,
cafes and offices on Rimu Road. We’ve been working
closely with Coastlands for the past few years to share
and align our ideas and work towards a cohesive
development that complements other work to
transform the Paraparaumu town centre.
Our aim is to develop Rimu Road as Paraparaumu’s
main street, featuring more retail and other
businesses, and we are delighted to see Coastland’s
plans become a reality.
Kāpiti Stride ‘n’ Ride is being made possible by a threeway investment from Council, the Urban Cycleways
Fund and the National Land Transport Fund (both
administered by the NZ Transport Agency). For more
information, visit www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/stridenride.
GOT ANY QUESTIONS?
• contact Michelle Parnell, Acting Infrastructure
Programme Delivery Manager,
[email protected],
or phone 04 296 4675
• visit www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/town-centres.