With Mauao, the beach, great schools and communities, fantastic shopping, cafes, dining and entertainment options, and a relaxed vibe, we all know Mount to Arataki is a unique and special little corner of the world, and it’s no surprise people want to come here.
Earlier this year we asked our community what they love about the Mount to Arataki area, and what matters most as we plan for the future. This is so we can protect the things we love, enhance the things we already have, and make room for the things we want.
Here’s what we heard
Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback with us from March to April this year. Following a successful period of community engagement, we have produced a community engagement report, and a draft plan.
Common themes from your feedback included:
- A desire for more rubbish bins, toilets, showers, seating, barbecues, and shade sails.
- Maintaining access to the beach while preserving the coastal environment.
- The need for more road maintenance and safer roads, including separated cycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and the deliberate slowing of traffic in residential areas using measures like roundabouts and speed bumps.
- Crime reduction and personal safety, particularly in the Bayfair and Arataki area.
- Enhancing parking and accessibility at key centres.
- Managing traffic congestion.
- The need to manage the risk of natural hazards and climate change related impacts including flooding, sea level rise, and tsunami.
- Concerns were raised regarding air, noise, and water pollution associated with the industrial area.
Key outcomes
Key outcomes sought through the spatial plan include:
- Supporting growth around our centres
- Protection of the environment
- Improvement to the Arataki/Bayfair area to enhance overall wellbeing
- Development of Maunganui Road as a multi-modal corridor
- Improvements to environmental quality and amenity in the Industrial area
- Recognise and enhance the unique culture and identity of the area.
Key moves map (5.2mb pdf)
Areas of focus
Connected neighbourhoods: provide options for how we move around and get to where we want to go.
Healthy neighbourhoods: allow us to be active, use the spaces around us and interact with them. Healthy neighbourhoods require a healthy environment that is cared for by everyone.
Unique neighbourhoods: tell the story of our people, culture, and history every day. They create pride in the areas that we live in and contribute to a greater community connection between people and places.
Liveable neighbourhoods: allow us to live close to the places that meet our daily needs like shops, schools, and workplaces.
Purpose and outcomes
The purpose of the Mount to Arataki Spatial Plan is to set the direction for how the area develops over the next 30 years. It will enable us to carefully plan the things that need to change now and, in the future, as well as protecting the things people love about the area.
The plan considers a wide range of topics, including:
- The wellbeing of our communities
- The way we move around
- Culture and heritage
- The natural environment and the features we want to protect
- Public open space: playgrounds, parks, and community facilities
- The shopping, entertainment, and business centres; and
- How to manage the different land uses in the area, including industrial, residential and commercial.
Our survey guided users through these topics, making it easy to share their thoughts.
The final plan will identify actions/projects to be implemented and will inform our decision making going forward, such as directing:
- What community facilities we invest in
- How we improve the transport network
- What infrastructure is required (e.g pipes and roads)
- Any changes required to the City Plan of where future development should go.
There are some things we can’t change, such as the Government’s new housing rules.
New rules will mean that people will be able to build more on their residential sections without needing sign-off from council, or approval from neighbours. Central government is also requiring us to provide more housing choices around our centres. Your neighbourhood may change over time as development occurs.
More information on Plan Change 33 - Enabling housing supply
There are also a number of other projects that have started, including upgrades to Maunganui Road and locations for some cycleways and bus routes. We will be working alongside active projects in the area to ensure we can create a coordinated plan that recognises some things are already in motion.
As we implement the plan, we will continue to engage with the community, stakeholders and mana whenua.