Gardens development plan finished
A DEVELOPMENT plan for the Queenstown Gardens will go before the Queenstown Lakes District Council community services committee for approval tomorrow.
It outlines a plan to spend $8.2 million over the next 10 years on three ‘‘priority project areas’’.
Senior parks and reserves planner Jeannie Galavazi said in her report to the committee funding had been provisionally included in the draft longterm plan — $550,000 to upgrade pathways and complete the ‘‘loop connection’’; $1.092 million for a new vehicle entrance and circulation; and $7.1 million for a cycleway and streetscape upgrade along Park St.
Remaining work would require separate submissions to future annual and longterm plans.
The Queenstown Gardens were established in 1887 by members of the resort’s first borough council. In 2010, the council first sought feedback on a new reserve management plan for the gardens and adopted it the following year.
That set out objectives and policies for the management of the gardens, but did not provide a longterm vision for development.
Ms Galavazi’s report said over time there had been an increase in the types of activities carried out in the gardens.
They now included tennis, lawn bowls, frisbee golf, a skate park and an ice rink.
She said there had been a ‘‘drastic increase’’ in visitor numbers to the gardens, estimated at about 100,000 per month and increasing.
Additionally there had been a ‘‘history of adhoc planning and development’’ which had resulted in discontinuous pedestrian access; safety issues with pedestrians and vehicles; and conflict among different users.
In June last year, the council released an initial development plan, described as a ‘‘high level strategy’’ to guide the development of the 14.75ha gardens over the next 10 to 20 years.
The plan proposed relocating the Queenstown Tennis Club courts, but that proposal was revised when the plan was released for consultation in October.
A total of 71 written submissions were received and Ms Galavazi said, overall, feedback was ‘‘very positive and supportive of what the plan was seeking to achieve’’.
The 21page plan detailed the ‘‘big moves’’ proposed — along with the improvements to pathways and connectivity, they included a comprehensive lighting plan; a new kiosk, public toilet and information facility — pegged to be situated beside the Queenstown Ice Rink — and a series of ‘‘theme gardens and areas’’.
The committee will be asked to adopt the draft plan tomorrow, putting in place a longterm vision for the gardens