Plans for the Beachlands Community Hub are being explored to better serve the area’s growing population. Franklin Local Board has been gathering feedback to assess if hub services are still a priority for the community and are considering a range of perspectives shared during consultation.
The board are also proposing to explore a version of community hub services for Clevedon.
What’s been done so far?
The board proposed two delivery priorities for the South-east as part of the Annual Plan. These were to establish and improve community hub services in Beachlands and Clevedon in 2025/2026, and to boost investment into Te Puru Sports Centre to enhance its ability to deliver active recreation programmes. These were prioritised as they all address growth in these areas, enhance service provision and respond to needs expressed by young people in the area.
To ensure the community has a voice in this decision, and to assess if these were priorities for the community, the board sought feedback both through submissions online via the Have Your Say site and through public engagement events as part of Auckland’s Annual Plan consultation. This process, which closed 28 March, included gathering feedback on the boards six key priorities for the coming year – including two which focus on improving council services in Beachlands-Maraetai and Clevedon.
The proposal is outcome focussed at this stage, and specific details like design and implementation planning have not been developed as yet.
What’s a community hub?
Community hubs are already a successful model in other suburbs like Pukekohe and Waiuku, where they provide easy access to arts and culture programmes, council customer services, library services, free Wi-Fi, and bookable meeting spaces, all managed by Council specialist staff in one place. The hub will bring these services closer to home for residents in Beachlands, Maraetai and Clevedon. Residents, including young people, won’t have to travel to Manukau, Howick, or Papakura to access them, or settle for infrequent outreach programmes more suited to small rural settlements.
Franklin Local Board Chair Angela Fulljames says, “we recognise that a community hub is something local people have needed and wanted for some time.
“As signalled in our Local Board Plan 2020 and 2023, the board are eager to move forward with delivering better access to community services at a Beachlands Community Hub. We also hope to explore changes in the way services are delivered in Clevedon that respond to growth in that community.
“We appreciate the strong interest during our engagement events and the conversations they’ve sparked in our community.
“While misunderstandings have arisen, we remain committed to open and clear communication going forward and know we need to do better in this regard.
Fulljames reinforces the Boards commitment to thoroughly assessing the draft proposal once they reach that stage.
“For now, the Board will focus on determining what is in the best interest of the entire community, both now and in the future, and whether resource should be allocated so a detailed plan can commence,” she says.
What are the benefits to the community?
If approved the hub will seek to:
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Create a vibrant and welcoming space for the community to connect
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Provide a space for youth to get together informally and to engage with council programmes and services
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Offer easy access library services, including borrowing and returning books from the Council collection and providing free access to digital services (free Wi-Fi)
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Offer easy access to council’s customer services including a place to pay rates, pay dog registrations and meet with Council specialist staff like building inspectors, planners and with elected members.
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Support creative and cultural program delivery, like wriggle and rhyme, Diwali, Matariki and Rainbow activities.
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Reduce the need for residents to travel to other areas for essential services
What’s Next?
Now that public consultation has closed, the board will review all submissions at the end of April. After carefully considering the feedback and receiving updated advice and options from staff that considers and addresses feedback, a final decision on whether to invest in and progress planning for the development of hub services at Beachlands Memorial Hall will be made by the board in June 2025.
“Community Hubs are not the only improvements we are considering for the coming year. Our decisions on next steps will also consider public feedback on other proposed priorities. We will have to balance public feedback with strategic and specialist insights on what will be needed in the future. We also need to consider what we as a local board can influence, and what we can only advocate for.” Fulljames says.
What we propose for the Franklin Local Board area 2025/2026
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Deliver council community service hubs like libraries, arts, and customer services in Beachlands and Clevedon
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Extend and improve services to isolated communities like Āwhitu, Ōrere, Glenbrook Beach, Paparimu and Kawakawa Bay
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Progress delivery of our sports and recreational plan, and provide additional grant funding for Karaka Sports Park and Te Puru Community Centre
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Deliver initiatives that improve the quality of the water in our streams, rivers, and environment with programmes to get rid of pests
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Deliver the Franklin Urban Ngahere (Forest) Action Plan by planting more trees in public places
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Continue to deliver the targeted rate-funded Franklin Paths Programme.
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