A concept plan for the redevelopment of the Clarks Beach Recreation Reserve has been adopted.
Franklin Local Board chair Andy Baker says the input of mana whenua and the wider local community was invaluable, leading to the inclusion of several design elements.
Board member Alan Cole says the existing assets on the reserve had deteriorated over time and needed renewal.
“But with quite significant assets spread across the reserve, it was a great opportunity to rethink what we did to bring things together to improve the overall experience of using a park that is central to the local community.
“With a skate park, playground, basketball court and public toilets in the park, it’s an ideal time to bring about some real change that makes going to the park better, especially for families, recognising that in the past the distance between various assets has led to vandalism and some unsocial behaviour.
“Better design will help alleviate that, making the park more visible, accessible and user-friendly.”
The Clarks Beach community is growing quickly, with significant housing development in the area.
The concept plan allows for growth and brings the reserve’s assets closer together to better connect them and lift usage.
The plan has been guided by local input, with consultation events online, on-site, within the community, and alongside mana whenua.
Those events identified a range of issues around poor connections between attractions, a lack of pathway networks and the deteriorating state of equipment.
With the concept plan accepted, detailed design can take place, before approval and physical works, possibly late next year, for completion by end of June 2023.
The project has a $1.2 million budget across three financial years, $110,000 in year one, $754,000 in year two, and $400,000 in the 2024 financial year.
