Karori Town Centre receives finishing touches
NEWS RELEASE
22 May 2008
Karori Town
Centre receives finishing touches
The $5 million
Karori Town Centre project is now complete following the
opening of a new landscaped accessway from Karori Road to
the Community Centre.
The main elements of the
accessway include:
A wide and well-lit walkway with
seating areas.
Paving detail on the walkway which matches
details around the adjacent Library.
Planting of Chinese
elms along the walkway and around the open grass area
adjacent to the Community Centre.
A grove of kowhai
trees
A new drinking fountain and seating area adjacent
to Karori Road - funded by the Karori Lions.
The
golden totara that was removed from in front of the
Lighthouse building will be replanted along the accessway in
June along with new trees planted in the nearby town
square..
Andy Foster – the Council’s Urban
Development and Transport Portfolio Leader and local Ward
Councillor – says the recent completion of the accessway
gives people direct access to the Community Centre from the
Mall and from the Campbell Street side of the block, brings
much needed greenery into Karori’s town centre, and
another place to sit and relax.
The foundation
stone from the St John’s Church Hall, demolished in
September 2007 to provide space for the Town Centre
development, has been incorporated into the seating area. Cr
Foster says the accessway and seating area “is simple but
highly attractive.”
“We think it’ll become a
great spot for stalls and other community
activities.”
In addition to the landscaping at
the Karori Road end of the accessway, the parking area in
front of the Community Centre has been re-configured to
provide room for a new footpath to improve
safety.
The Karori upgrade started in 2003 as part
of a 10-year programme by the City Council to revitalise the
city’s suburban centres. The Karori project has been
principally focused on improving the Council-owned community
facilities in the town centre. The key elements of the
project are:
New library and café
New community
centre
Pedestrian linkage of all community facilities to
each other and to public parking
New public open
spaces
Road safety improvements including traffic lights
at the Parkvale-Karori Road intersection
The creation of
a future development site – previously occupied by the St
John’s hall and the Lighthouse building - on the corner of
Karori Road and Campbell Street.
Cr Foster says the
land adjacent to the Community Centre at the end of the
accessway has been made available to the Karori Community
Centre and Karori Community Hall Replacement Committee for
up to five years for the purpose of building a community
hall.
The land formerly occupied by the lighthouse
building will be left clear and tidy until a decision is
made of the future use of the St John’s site. The future
use of this site will be discussed with affected and
interested parties and a report will be presented to the
Council by the end of this
year.
ends