Side-by-side: Phoenix carpark redevelopment plans vs what was built

A side-by-side shot of the design and post value-engineering construction of Te Papa O Ngā Manu Porotakataka. Images / Tauranga City Council

An aerial comparison of what was designed for the $2.5 million Phoenix car park redevelopment - and what eventuated - has been released.

The urban open space, christened Te Papa O Ngā Manu Porotakataka, opened to the public in December.

The design of the space Tauranga City Council put out for public consultation wound up being changed in a value engineering bid by council staff to minimise an expected cost blowout.

The concrete-heavy result was widely panned by the public for its lack of greenery and shade.

Some said it was more like a skateboard park, and skaters seemed to think so too, resulting in Tauranga City Council having to take action to discourage them.

Images of the design that went out for consultation and an aerial photo of the scaled-down version that was built were presented to Tauranga City Council on Tuesday.

The council has acknowledged the quality of the space is lower than envisaged and has been looking for ways to improve it.

Those could include free wi-fi, new signage with a storyboard explaining the origins of the name, the return of the Mountie statue, more events and adding seating, shade, colourful plants and art.