Onehunga foreshore restoration
Parks, Sports and Recreation is seeking environmental permission to restore a section of Onehunga's foreshore. The aim is to establish a new park seaward of Orpheus Drive, with a more natural landscape with beaches, open space and recreational opportunities.
A new bridge will make it possible to walk and cycle between the new land and the existing park around Onehunga lagoon, which is within walking distance of Onehunga’s main street and railway station.
Some of the children in this photo, taken about 1950, still live nearby, and they’ve never forgotten how the seaside changed when State Highway 20 was built across old Onehunga Bay in the 1970s.
The local community has for years been seeking to re-connect with the sea, and the Maungakiekie-Tamaki Local Board and the New Zealand Transport Agency are providing $28million in funding for this project.
The new park will:
- recognise the area’s rich cultural and maritime history
- turn a neglected stretch of coast into a public asset
- create recreational space for the benefit of generations to come.
Updates on progress will be posted on this web page. Please check in from time to time.
What’s happening now?
- The Onehunga Foreshore Restoration project resource consent application, assessed under the Resource Management Act, was approved in March following public notification of the application in September 2011 and a hearing before independent commissioners in December and February.
- The decision and detailed reports prepared for the hearing can be found in reports for the hearing.
- Parks, Sport and Recreation is now reviewing the decision, which includes various consent conditions.
What happens next?
- The project team continues to work with local residents, community groups, iwi and regulators to make the restoration a success. While the bay has been heavily modified, restoring a coastline must be done with sensitivity and a high level of environmental care.
- Detailed design and construction will take place once all the relevant consents are in place. Ideally work will begin in 2012.
Proposed design and features as at September 2011
In April 2011 the council contracted Fulton Hogan to design and build the park, and they have been working with local residents, community groups, iwi and regulators to develop the design. More than 250 people came to see the plans at an Open Day in July to provide feedback and suggestions.
Artist impression of the park.
Key elements of the project include:
- creating 6.8 Ha of new park land.
- a pedestrian and cycle bridge over SH20 to connect Onehunga Bay Reserve to the foreshore
- new beaches
- a new boat ramp
- a pedestrian and cycle path through the park
- park amenities including a toilet, park furniture and an upgrade of Orpheus Drive car park.