If the partial changes to the Reserve classification and management plan are approved at Denton Park, can we still use the park and facilities?
Most of the park will remain unaffected and the facilities will still be available to both the public and sports clubs, in keeping with the park’s role as a community hub.
Are there any accessibility and traffic issues at Denton Park?
The Denton Park location itself is accessible, with plenty of opportunities for more access – particularly with the bus interchange next door and the planned cycle facilities.
The site is located near schools, retail, healthcare and cultural centres, creating opportunities for people to complete multipurpose trips which may mean less overall traffic movements then if this facility was located elsewhere.
The Main South Road traffic flow, along the Denton Park frontage, is also expected to ease when Phase 2 of the Southern Motorway is completed in 2020.
NZTA have noted the need to limit the potential for U-Turns on Main South Road should the site be developed.
What are the likely impacts to the Denton Park based sports clubs?
If the facility is built on the Denton Park site, most of the park will remain unaffected and the multiple facilities will still be available to the public and sports clubs in keeping with the park’s role as a community hub.
Hornby Rugby Football Club has previously noted the need for two playing fields, and these will be retained on Denton Park, as will their current clubrooms. The Council has also set aside money from the project’s budget to make general improvements to Denton Park, as requested by the club as an alternative to creating a third playing field elsewhere in Hornby.
Hornby Cricket has previously asked the Council to relocate their club should the proposed development go ahead on Denton Park, as the playing fields may be too crowded with the shared community uses. The Council supports this idea in principle, and has set aside money for both the fields and clubrooms.
Track cycling at Denton Oval will not be impacted.
The old scout hall currently used by Kyokushin Karate would need to be removed.
Will there be extra car parks at Denton Park?
About 150–200 extra car parks would be created for the additional vehicles, with potential for further overflow car parking.
Will any of the businesses on Chalmers Street be affected?
We expect minimal impacts to the local businesses on Chalmers Street. If a secondary access to Denton Park is required, there may be some disruption, but there is enough space as not to overly impact the current buildings or operations.
Is the current consultation related to the Reserves Act (RA) or Resource Management Act (RMA)?
The consultation is associated with the Reserves Act (RA) and park management plan. The process does not involve the Resource Management Act. It is the proposed new Library and Customer Services elements that are inconsistent with current Reserve classification.
What are the design drawings within the consultation document?
These show a concept of the new development, and the size and scale in relation to the rest of Denton Park. They also show the intended community uses, including the swimming pool (wet sports), dry sports, a library, customer services and the governance and community spaces.
The design would take a further 10 months or so to evolve following the decision regarding the proposed partial changes to the park.
Can we make Denton Park a safer place in the future?
According to police data, Denton Park suffers from a number of pre-existing issues and has high incident rates of crime. This is sometimes evident in graffiti and anti-social behaviour.
The new development would address one of the problem edges of the park (the eastern boundary) and improve the overall quality and safety of public spaces, including improved connections to the Hornby Hub (the bus interchange) and Denton Oval.
The railway underpass to Kyle Park would also be enhanced to make it safer and more visible.
Was Denton Park originally bequeathed to the local community?
The history of Denton Park dates back to 1952, when the bulk of the land was gifted to the local community for a recreational ground by the then landowner, Mr Stanley Denton.
In 1953 an additional area was purchased by the Council (then Paparoa) to provide more frontage to Main South Road. In the record of the Crown’s approval of funds for this purchase, the additional area was identified as the probable location for a future 'community centre and swimming bath'.
The area purchased by the Council back in 1953 is about the same size as the area which is now proposed for the current day re-classification to 'Community Buildings'.
Why was Kyle Park not selected as the preferred location for the facility?
We haven’t favoured Kyle Park because the ground conditions at the former landfill site are very poor. If the facility was built on Kyle Park, a significant part of our budget will go on land remediation, rather than a new facility. This could mean that some of the features of a facility built at Kyle Park will be compromised in order to pay for land remediation.
Kyle Park is unlikely to pose a significant risk to human health and the environment, which means it is unlikely we will get any funding from the Contaminated Sites Remediation Fund.
Furthermore, the site was also considered to have a lower profile and generally poorer links to public transport and the connection with central Hornby. The outcome of developing a civic heart for Hornby would be severely limited if a smaller version of the proposed facilities were located on Kyle Park.
