Visitors expected to stream in to Foxton
Foxton is forecast to get a boost of up to 60,000 visitors once the community hub and Dutch museum are up and running.
Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom is expected to open its doors by spring 2017, attracting thousands of people, according to a Dutch Connection Museum Trust feasibility study.
Horowhenua District Council strategic projects manager Cathy Mccartney said the 60,000 figure was based on a study by museum consultant Tim Walker, and figures from the Foxton windmill, which had about 30,000 visitors a year.
Mccartney also expected about 100,000 visits from Horowhenua residents.
The $7 million project will include a space where businesses and schools can hold meetings.
Mccartney hopes businesspeople from Levin and Palmerston North will make the most of stepping out of the office to use the space, with scenic views out to the coast. The centre will also have a gallery for exhibitions, a library and cafe.
Along with the boost in visitor numbers, Foxton and Foxton Beach are experiencing residential growth. Forty times more property consents were issued by the council in the 2016/2017 financial year. In 2015/16, the council consented just one new allotment, compared with 40 this financial year, Mccartney said.
The council also issued consents for 27 new houses, compared with 20 in 2015/16.
Foxton is Horowhenua’s second largest town, behind Levin.
Of the council’s $17m in capital expenditure in the past financial year, 29 per cent was spent in Foxton.
Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom has cost $4.7m so far and other projects included $792,000 for a wastewater treatment plant upgrade and $484,000 for an upgrade of Foxton Main St.
About $8.3m has been spent on Levin so far, with $3.8m going to a north-east Levin stormwater upgrade and $3.7m on the Levin water treatment plant.