As the key part of Ōpunakē’s town centre revitalisation project, the Council would like to know what residents think about a proposal to close off a section of Napier Street to transform it into a pedestrian-only community greenspace that will be an attractive, central location for community events and gatherings.
The idea for a public greenspace in the town heart first came from the Ōpunakē community in 2019 as part of feedback when developing the Ōpunakē town revitalisation plan (formerly known as the Ōpunakē town Masterplan).
In 2023, a local co-design team was formed to help gather specific ideas from the community for Ōpunakē’s town revitalisation plan. The co-design team, which includes representatives from local businesses, hapū, youth and community, helped develop the Napier Street greenspace proposal and now wants to get feedback from the community before the project progresses.
South Taranaki District Council community advisor Fran Levings says concept images and artist impressions of what the space could look like are available to be viewed online from 15 April at www.southtaranaki.com/greenspace or at the Ōpunakē LibraryPlus, along with more details about the plan and the feedback form.
“The concept reflects the connection we have between the mountain and the sea – Maunga ki te Moana. It presents an opportunity to link our culture with our landscape and provide a place in Ōpunakē that everyone can call ‘ours’,” says Fran. “$2.2 million was previously budgeted for Ōpunakē town centre’s revitalisation within Council’s 2021-31 Long Term Plan, with the funds coming from the Long-Term Investment Fund, so has no direct impact on rates.”
The estimated budget for the proposal is somewhere between $1.2 - $1.5 million. This is about 55 – 68% of the total revitalisation budget.
“We’re not just wanting your feedback on the concept, we also want to know whether you’re happy with the amount we’re proposing to spend of the total town revitalisation plan budget.”
Consultation runs from Monday 15 April and closes on Wednesday 15 May. Feedback can be given online from 15 April at www.southtaranaki.com/greenspace or you can pick up a hard copy feedback form from Ōpunakē LibraryPlus.
A town meeting is being held on Wednesday 8 May from 7pm at the Sinclair Electrical and Refrigeration Event Centre if you are interested in finding out more about the project from the co-design team and Council staff.
