South Taranaki District Council roadshow to investigate what enhancements residents want in town centres

Coastal South Taranaki town Ōpūnake will be visited during the roadshow where a town centre masterplan will be developed. Photo / Supplied

The South Taranaki District Council (STDC) is taking a roadshow around the district to find out what residents would like to see in some of the smaller town centres.

South Taranaki mayor Ross Dunlop says the aim of the master planning exercise is to develop a suite of actions for the central district bureau (CDB) of each town.

These can be included in STDC's next long term plan in 2021.

"Following similar planning work done on the Hāwera town centre, the council is embarking on a process to develop town centre masterplans for Eltham, Ōpūnake, Manaia, Pātea and Waverley," Dunlop said.

"The contract to undertake this work was awarded to a partnership of three companies who have worked together before to deliver similar projects in other parts of New Zealand.

"They are holding roadshows in each town asking the relevant communities for their thoughts and ideas. We want to know what plans businesses have and what the community would like to see in their town CDBs."

The companies are Veros, Rationale and Landlab.

The masterplans will look at things like movement in and around the area such as pedestrians, cycles and vehicles. sustainable design and the relationship of adjoining developments.

The aim is to have the town masterplans prepared in draft form around August this year.

Mayor Dunlop said the town centre masterplan work is part of STDC's vision to make South Taranaki the most liveable district in New Zealand.

"We know we can't afford to do everything at once, but by making these masterplans we can start looking at ways of budgeting for and realising the communities' needs over time.

He said the master planning project demonstrates STDC's ongoing commitment to the district's smaller towns.

"Where the trend has been for other agencies to pull out of our small towns, the council has made a deliberate commitment to maintaining facilities such as libraryplus centres, swimming pools, parks and other recreation infrastructure in our small towns," Dunlop said.

"This is what makes South Taranaki so unique."

Recent enhancements include the refurbishment of Kaponga and Pātea LibraryPlus centres, work on the Hunter Shaw Building, the Manaia Swimming Pool upgrade and the upcoming Manaia Community Facility.

Drop in conversations at LibraryPlus Centres:
Ōpūnake Monday, May 13, Ōpūnake LibraryPlus, 1pm-3pm
Eltham Tuesday, May 14, Eltham LibraryPlus, 1pm-3pm
Manaia Wednesday, May 15, Manaia LibraryPlus, 1pm-3pm
Pātea Thursday, May 23, Pātea LibraryPlus, 1pm-3pm
Waverley Friday, May 24, Waverley LibraryPlus, 1pm-3pm

Workshops - register by emailing cdunit@stdc.govt.nz or phone 0800 111 323
Ōpūnake Monday, May 13, Sandfords Event Centre, 5pm-7pm
Eltham Tuesday, May 14, Taumata Park Rec centre, 5pm-7pm
Manaia Wednesday, May 15, Gibson Hall, 5pm-7pm
Pātea Thursday, May 23, Pātea Old Folks Hall, 5pm-7pm
Waverley Friday 24, May, Waverley Community Centre, 5pm-7pm