More parks space created in Porirua

A plan to create more recreation opportunities in the hills behind Porirua and Tawa has met with a favourable public reaction.

Porirua and Wellington city councils consulted on the draft plan for a month over September and October 2015.

Porirua City Council community services general manager Euan Dempsey said the response had been positive and that the 348 submissions were thoughtful and detailed and had helped refine the plan.

‘‘Overall support for the plan was very strong. There will be more tracks developed on the five beautiful and varied reserve areas in the hills,’’ he said.

The plan covers a 550-hectare area, which includes three sections managed by Porirua City Council – Spicer Botanical Park, Colonial Knob and Porirua Scenic Reserve, plus Spicer Forest, which is jointly managed by the Porirua and Wellington councils.

‘‘A variety of mountainbike tracks will have a family focus with opportunities for children and young people to develop skills and move on to more challenging trails,’’ Dempsey said.

The track network would be designed to ensure that conflicts between fast-moving bikes, walkers and horse riders were minimised, he said.