Waitematā Local Board has endorsed a preliminary design for the Mayoral Drive underpass and northern entrance, one of a number of upgrades to Myers Park as part of the Myers Park Development Plan.
The development plan began in 2012, with the first stage of the project seeing a new play area and upgraded lighting and footpaths, completed in 2015 in time for the Myers Park centennial celebration.
The Mayoral Drive underpass design will see an accessible, safe and obvious entrance into the park and includes improvements to the Mayoral Drive/Queen Street entrance stairs and new artwork on the underside of the Mayoral Drive bridge.
The preliminary design for Mayoral Drive underpass was developed with feedback from Waitematā Local Board, the Myers Park mana whenua working group, accessibility specialists, and Auckland Council staff.
Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei artist, Graham Tipene, has developed an immersive conceptual idea for the artwork on the underside of the bridge that references the whakapapa of the Wai Horotiu stream, which once ran through the park, and its taniwha.
A timber boardwalk proposed at the lower end of the park, next to the underpass, also takes inspiration from the former stream and will flow through an area of dry swale planting culminating at the northern edge of the park in a series of stepped platforms.
Playful features, including concrete stepping stones, will allow people to engage with the planting.
The Mayoral Drive/Queen Street entrance stairs will feature design elements by Māori artist Tessa Harris with larger seating steps running parallel, allowing people to further enjoy the park.
Waitematā Local Board chair Richard Northey says Myers Park is an important inner-city green space and the board is excited about the on-going improvements to the well-loved park.
“This new design will more fully and faithfully reflect the history of the area. It will increase the visibility and knowledge of the site's heritage and Māori culture, while also improving accessibility, safety, placemaking and fun."
A detailed design is expected to be complete in February 2021. Physical works are planned to commence mid-2022.
Visit ProgressAKL to find out what else is planned for the city.
