Whitianga Esplanade Redevelopment project - results are in
Published on 20 December 2024
Feedback has now closed on concepts for the Whitianga Esplanade Redevelopment project and Thames-Coromandel District Council would like to thank every person who took the time to complete the survey or attend the drop-in information sessions.
Consultation on the project began on 21 November and closed this week on 18 December. A total of 231 surveys were completed and these are now being collated.
Initial analysis of the feedback shows most respondents supported retaining the Esplanade playground (184) compared to the other option of relocating it to Taylor’s Mistake and creating more car and boat trailer parking in its place (37).
A proposed design of creating a new public pier also received strong support (95) compared to the other option of extending the existing pier (41).
The options for Robinson Road Reserve and boat ramp were closer. More people supported an upgrade that didn’t allow for overflow parking at Hilton Reserve (72) compared to those who opted for the overflow (67).
A number of respondents did not choose either answer, opting for “Other” (51) or “I don’t know” (29) instead.
Usage of the passenger ferry was listed by most respondents (152) as their primary top five reason for using the areas. This was followed by walking/jogging/running (142), waterfront events (104), playground (99) and recreational trailer boating (75).
Of all respondents, most were aged over 65 (54), 55-64 (28), or 45-54 (18) and most respondents used the areas monthly (45) or weekly (30).
The concept plans were created after several meetings with waterfront user groups. The survey sought feedback from the wider community about what it most preferred for the Esplanade and Robinson Road Reserve areas.
The feedback will be given to the project’s advisory committee which will present the findings at a Council meeting early next year. The feedback will help guide the Council’s eventual decision-making process.
For more information on the project, please visit tcdc.govt.nz/whitiangaesplanade.
