Alternative plan to retain Takapuna Golf Course while allowing for flood storage to be presented to council

The Takapuna Golf Course would be impacted under a proposal to use A.F. Thomas Park as wetland and flood storage.

A golf architect believes land at A.F. Thomas Park could be turned into flood storage without getting rid of Takapuna Golf Course, which currently occupies the land.

Auckland Council has proposed work that would see the golf course heavily affected as A.F. Thomas Park would be turned into a wetland to help reduce future flooding, after Wairau Valley was hit hard by the 2023 Auckland floods, including two deaths in the area.

However, golf architect Kristine Kerr believes flood relief could be achieved with tweaks to the current golf course that would see the fairways double as water storage. That alternative will be presented during the Transport, Resilience and Infrastructure Committee meeting on Thursday morning.

A proposed business case for the council’s design, consenting and early enabling works for improved flood resilience will also be presented.

Kerr, who has worked on the development of more than 40 courses worldwide, has come up with a reimagined course that would both keep an 18-hole course and allow for water catchment through lowering and reshaping the current course.

The alternative plan also included perimeter walkways and cycleways, ecological enhancement areas, and aimed to retain trees where possible while planting new ones as well.

The alternative design would see the Takapuna Golf Course retained while making necessary changes to meet flood relief goals.

The design was made based on calculations made by specialist engineers and was created to show that flood storage objectives could be achieved without getting rid of the golf course.

“Courses around the world are being designed and can be modified to support flood mitigation during extreme weather events,” Kerr said.

“The ability to integrate stormwater storage within a multi-use recreational environment is a well-established practice internationally and is being successfully implemented in major cities across Europe, the United States and Asia.

“Under this new design for Takapuna, thousands more people will be able to enjoy the space, whether they’re playing golf, walking, or cycling, all while the course serves a vital role in flood management.”

Kerr said the key was redesigning the course in a way that integrated the required flood-relief functions without compromising playability.

The proposed modifications would see the fairways strategically contoured to temporarily store stormwater during heavy rainfall.

“With the right design strategy, it can not only continue to thrive but also evolve into a world-class, multi-purpose facility that benefits golfers, international visitors and the wider public. There is no reason Auckland can’t adopt global best practices to achieve this.”

Under the council proposal, the park would become part of a blue-green network able to be used by the community for the majority of the time, and could incorporate walking and recreational facilities as well as a wetland that floods in large storm events.

The work would be carried out in stages; the first of which would include the design and consenting of critical flood management infrastructure at A.F. Thomas Park.

Tom Mansell, the council’s head of sustainable partnerships (healthy waters and flood resilience), said this first stage was a critical step for the Wairau blue-green network.

“The redevelopment of the park would provide the equivalent to 220 Olympic-sized swimming pools or 550 million litres of water storage in a flood event, which is a significant increase from the park’s current 60 million litre capacity,” he said.

“This would protect downstream residential properties as well as road flooding to Nile, Waterloo and Alma Roads in Milford – which are access points for North Shore Hospital and Westlake Boys’ and Girls’ High Schools.”

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.