Devonport-Takapuna Local Board has allocated $250,000 funding from their local board transport capital fund budgets towards supporting a community-led estuary boardwalk project in Milford.
The project set out to deliver a 450m long, 3m wide boardwalk over the Wairau Creek Estuary, connecting the Milford Shopping Centre with Milford beach.
The project is a joint one between the Milford Business Association (MBA) and Milford Residents Association (MRA) says MBA Manager, Murray Hill.
"The Milford Centre Plan was adopted in 2015 and focused strongly on how our community wanted Milford to develop in the future. In this plan, an estuary boardwalk was identified as a key aspirational project – one that would allow people to enjoy an unexpected hidden space in the heart of Milford,” says Hill.
“In 2016, the local board provided $19,000 to the MRA to undertake conceptual work. The MRA and MBA engaged Simon O’Connor of Sentinel Planning and Mike Rogan of Sola Landscape Architects Ltd. With their help, we were successful with our pre-application hearing with the council and it set us up to secure our recent grant from the local board which we are tremendously grateful for.”
“The boardwalk project is an exciting one with a lot of local support, and support from the board and several council departments,” says Devonport-Takapuna Local Board Chair George Wood.
Future steps
“Council’s Healthy Waters team has recently commissioned a restoration plan for the Milford Estuary. This will be completed early next year and will provide options for restoring the health of the estuary in the area the boardwalk traverses,” says Wood.
“Council’s Community Facilities team have also offered to provide project management support to deliver the project once fundraising has raised the required funds,” he says.
Murray Hill of the MBA estimates the design and build cost for the new boardwalk to be around $2m.
Community fundraising initiatives for the project will commence during the upcoming summer season.
Keep your eye on the Milford Shops website for more details on how you can support this project.
