“We have a railway line that goes past it and it would be quite easy to put a platform there for events. The potential is huge so everything doesn’t have to be in the middle of Wellington.
“The key to that is it in stages though, we don’t want everyone to get excited it will happen tomorrow.”
A mix of rates, sponsorship and external funding would pay for the development and over $4 million was available in the Long-Term Plan.
Included in the park’s draft plan were a blokart track, tracks for road cycling, para-cycling and inline skating, BMX and mountain bike routes, a boardwalk and a “destination” playground.
Three amphitheatres – the biggest catering for about 5000 people – would also be built. A multi-purpose hub at the centre of the park would provide spaces for the community to meet and, in the long term, an indoor pavilion would cater for sports and events. A new bridge would cross the railway line and link the park to the old State Highway 1.
Public consultation will begin later this year and if there were no significant changes the plan would go back to council for adoption by the end of the year.
“Landsailing Kāpiti owner Ian Timperley said the club had tried for years to secure a permanent blokarting location and, if the Otaraua development went ahead, it would be good for the district. The Waikanae man travelled to Sanson twice a week where, he said, a track was used by blokarters from around the Wellington region.
Full article on the stuff website
The blokart track seems a good idea, but “three amphitheatres” and an “indoor pavilion”? We suggest a botanical garden — both exotic and natives — would be a more suitable use for the rest. Platforms for the railway might not be as easy as Mayor Guru thinks.
Kapiti does need a larger concert venue. We’ve been to several events at Southwards where people have been turned away. KCDC is sinking a large amount of ratepayers dollars into the Kapiti Performing Arts Centre that holds no more than Southwards. The lack of a larger capacity facility is so short-sighted. An outdoor facility is useful year-round, probably not so good for many of the events that come here but it would be a start.
I guess many of us have jumped on a train and gone to the cake tin which we also helped pay for. Do we really need more.
As for the new park, well it seems like a dun deal to me – fixing the storm-water, building a dam, having a replacement tip, et al has obviously gone on the back burner again as the ratepayer will pay again.
Is the $4 million mentioned actually real or is a make believe number written in an old crusty report?
I love blowcarts, but lets have some reality here. Someone came to council with an idea for a big exciting competition, and suddenly a 35-40 year development plan is brought forward to next year? In my opinion, this is frivilous.
How much is this going to cost and where on earth is the money coming from?
It is no secret the council is up to our necks in debt with planned rate rises already for most of the next 9 years,
How is it that building a rail platform at the park is suddenly so easy, yet putting one in for commuters at Raumati South was like puling teeth, so they gave up trying.
What do GW say about it? They will be paying.
So much for open space, there is more tarseal planned here than Coastlands carpark, Could they have possibly fit any more in? and lastly, yes this is so out of left field, it is even news to councilors.
Let me know if you can even find a submission form out there too, i tried at council last Thursday and Friday, I asked front counter staff and they couldn’t get me one either.