Dream plan for Whangarei's inner city

Big plans: Changes to Laurie Hall Park are included in a list of 28 projects in Whangarei District Council's draft 20/20 Momentum Plan. PHOTO: SUPPLIED

If you asked some members of the Whangarei District Council's 20/20 Inner City Revitalisation Committee what they dream about at night, chances are they would list some of the 28 projects contained within Whangarei's draft 20/20 Momentum plan released this week.

The plan covers 11 years of potential development of council and privately funded projects such as a hotel, a 50m pool, a civic centre, conference centre, multi-storey parking and a number of cultural centres.

The committee met on Wednesday having released the draft plan, which they intend to discuss at a workshop in the next two months.

Mayor Sheryl Mai wanted to see the Hihiaua Cultural Centre timeline come closer. "It's in the hearts and minds of the community."

Councillor Greg Innes agreed and added that a centre was also key to the city's progress.

Both Ms Mai and Mr Innes liked the idea of "smashing some glass and making a beach at the old glassworks site" for the Glassworks Promenade, an artificial beach set to be completed by 2026, and described by Councillor Brian McLachlan as "Uretiti in the city, without the sharks". Mr Innes said a beach environment, such as that seen in Cairns in Australia, would bring vibrancy of a beach to the city.

Other projects include pop-up retail and activities, including a recreational facility at Pohe Island, a green space by the river, a Parihaka Interpretive Centre, a Hatea Dr multi-storey parking facility and the Emerald Necklace - the continuation of the green walkways around the city.

Those requiring private investment would be the Hihiaua Cultural Centre, the controversial redevelopment of the old harbour Board Building or site, the Old Boys large retail, a new transit centre, the Park Hill Hotel, Reyburn House Lane, residential intensification, the 50m pool and Basin View accommodation.

Committee chairperson Phil Halse said the city needed a plan, even if that plan had to be revised.

"We don't want to reinvent the wheel. We just want to keep the wheel turning. It's not about council throwing money away. A lot of this is already in the Long Term Plan."

He said ratepayers would support the council as long as it was delivering high quality projects.

The committee will meet again to nail down items for future Long Term Plans (LTP) and would be meeting monthly this year. Some items were expected to appear in the LTP being released for public consultation on March 25, while five projects have already been completed.

Projects already under way include the $2.67 million Cameron and James St canopy and laneway and the development of the old NRC Harbour Board site. Planning around the expansion of bulk retail is already under way and due to be completed this year to make way for the Old Boys large format retail centre, due to be finished in 2018. On Wednesday, the committee agreed that the old Z Energy building would be demolished before June to allow for the expansion of the Growers' Market. The document is a continuation of the original 20/20 Plan, established in 1995. Already, the council has completed the Canopy bridge and windbreak, Te Matau o Pohe, the Hatea Loop and Kotuitui Whitinga bridge, as well as the war memorial in Laurie Hall Park.

WDC group manager for district living Paul Dell said the council was "merely an enabler in some elements of the plan ..." while WDC was the funder of other projects.

- Wishlist projects, page 5.