Update to the Governors Bay community centre & pool reserve

Skate, pump track or treehouse? Your choice.

Community Board Decision Meeting

On Monday 27 November 2017, the Banks Peninsula Community Board approved the plan. 

A report will be presented to the Banks Peninsula Community Board on Monday 27 November 2017. The meeting starts at 1pm and will be held at the Lyttelton Boardroom. The public are welcome to attend. 

In the report to the Board, staff recommend that the Board approves the final plan which includes the most popular two options: A pump track and skate bowl. This recommendation is based on community feedback [PDF, 263 KB].   [PDF, 293 KB]

Since submitting the report and landscape plan for Monday's Board meeting, we have undertaken a tree root assessment which has highlighted some major tree roots in the location we proposed the skate bowl to go. We have drawn up an amended plan [PDF, 7.8 MB] to show a revised location for it to go as there are no major tree roots.  This location would require the removal of one tree.  The skate bowl has been moved 8 metres from where the first plan shows. 

Update on construction planning

Stage one

The stage one junior playground is currently under construction with completion by Christmas. 

We plan to have the path from the road to the pool paved by Christmas and hope to have enough pavers to also complete the path from the pool across the grass to the new Community Centre steps. If we don't receive enough pavers before Christmas, the path across the grass will be completed in the new year. 

Unfortunately, we were unable to source enough plants in time to plant out this area but we will plant in Autumn 2018 when it is a better time for plants to establish. 

Stage two

Subject to Community Board approval, we hope to start construction in March/April 2018 and have it completed by late May 2018. 

Consultation summary 

Consultation ran from Thursday 31 August - Thursday 21 September 2017, Council received 62 submissions. Of the 62 submissions, 19 were male, 38 were female and five did not indicate.

Of the 62 submissions, the pump track was the most preferred item with 27 votes, skate came second with 20 votes, the treehouse came third with 11 votes and four submitters did not indicate their preference.

The second preference was the pump track with 23 votes, skate with 21 votes, the treehouse with 12 votes and six submitters did not indicate.

The third preference was the treehouse with 33 votes, skate with 16 votes, seven submitters did not indicate and six voted for the pump track.

Submitters were asked to vote for their preference between a skate bowl and half pipe. The bowl received the most votes with 52 votes, the half pipe received six votes and four submitters did not indicate their preference. 

Next steps

Based on this feedback, the preferences that have ranked the highest overall are the pump track and the skate bowl. We will be working on a revised plan for the wooded area to include these two elements and will take this to the Community Board for approval in late 2017. If approved, we plan to construct in Autumn 2018 subject to obtaining all required consents. 

The Banks Peninsula Community Board have approved the junior play area and planting plan. We plan to complete construction of the junior play area by Christmas 2017.

We are working out the details of the planting plan around the Community Centre with the aim of doing a community planting day towards the end of October 2017. Further details to come, this will be an open invitation to the local community to get involved. 

Background

We’ve been out to consult with the local Governors Bay community. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough money to include all elements of the design and the extras that were requested in the consultation so we’d like more feedback from you.

Changes to the plan:

In May 2017, we sought your feedback on a proposed landscape plan. All feedback has been considered by the project team, and we have amended the plan to increase the play items in the junior area.  Based on this feedback the project team are suggesting the following changes to the landscape plan:

• Screens with proposed planting to provide privacy near the pool.
• Steps off the deck of the Community Centre and a path to the pool which provides more direct access to the toilets. The steps can also be used as seating and will provide a better  connection between the community centre and the lawn.
• Planting for the existing and proposed garden beds.

Amend the junior play area to include:

• A two bay swing with two strap seats and two infant seats
• An embankment slide
• Stepping posts and boulder hop next to the slide
• Crawl tunnel
• Shop front for imaginary play
• Fun phone
• Seating

Next steps:

Junior playground. [PDF, 533 KB]

Location for planned junior playground

We will be taking the updated junior playground proposal to the Banks Peninsula Community Board for approval on Monday 25 September. The meeting starts at 1pm and will be held at the Lyttelton Boardroom. 

If we gain approval of the proposal then we hope to be able to construct the junior playground by Christmas, subject to equipment supply.

Wooded playground area. [PDF, 2.9 MB]

 The changes to the junior playground alter the budget that we allocated for this part of the plan. This has a flow on effect to the playground in the wooded area as we do not have enough money left to do all three pieces originally proposed. When we consulted with the community earlier in the year, we had some feedback, but not enough for us to understand what you’d prefer in the wooded area near the Community Centre. We want to make sure the community gets what it really wants to use in this space so we are asking you to rank the options for the area.

Based on the feedback, we will give a verbal update to the Community Board at the decision making meeting for the junior playground on the 25 September.

Then we will work on a revised plan for the wooded area. This would include details of tree removals to make way for the equipment and the location of the picnic table.

This revised plan will be presented to the Community Board later this year for their approval. We will update everyone that provides feedback with details of this subsequent decision making meeting. We anticipate that construction (subject to approval) would be completed by June 2018.

Background:

Existing reserve

Since 2010 there have been repeated requests from youth living in Governors Bay for a skate facility.

In November 2016, we asked for your ideas for three areas in the Governors Bay Community Centre and Pool Reserve. We received feedback from 59 people (including school children, residents and community groups). The feedback from this informed the proposal which was put out for formal consultation in May this year.

Results of the May 2017 consultation:

A total of 600 leaflets were delivered to properties and 136 to key stakeholders and 127 to absentee owners.

Council received 64 submissions: 

• 28 submitters were in support of the proposed landscape plan
• 28 were in support but had some concerns
• Three did not support the proposal
• Five did not state their preference 

While there were 56 submissions that generally supported the plan, there were specific comments on some of the elements:

• Skate - Nine against (One submitter asked for it to be able to be used by scooters and bikes too, seven in support of skate and one submitter asked for a skate bowl instead as it would be more versatile.
• Pump track – two comments in support
• Treehouse - six comments in support and two against
• Boat - one in support
• Planting screens - Three in support (one asking for it to be screened completely, and one asking for it to be located outside the pool area), one submission against the screens

There was a clear response regarding the junior playground with a number of submitters commenting that there is not enough for pre-schoolers. Below are suggestions for more equipment: 

We have utilised this feedback to put together a revised plan for the junior playground

Seeking further feedback on the remaining elements:

Timeline

• Thursday 31 August 2017 - Additional feedback period on the wooded playground begins

• Thursday 21 September 2017 - Additional feedback period closes

• Monday 25 September 2017 - Banks Peninsula Community Board decision meeting on the junior playground

• Late 2017 - Banks Peninsula Community Board decision meeting on the wooded playground

• Summer 2017 - Construction completed on the junior playground (subject to approval)

• June 2018 - Construction completed on the wooded playground (subject to approval)

How to request speaking rights:

If you would like to talk to the Community Board before they make a decision, you can request speaking rights.  To request to speak at the Community Board decision making meeting for the junior playground, please contact Liz Carter, ph - 941 5682 or email liz.carter@ccc.govt.nz by Friday 15 September 2017.