Island Bay village upgrades

We’ve developed the plans over the past few months in collaboration with people who live and run businesses in the area.  

These phases included a wider community drop-in session, and three working group sessions. The working group was comprised of representatives from the Island Bay Residents’ Association, community groups and business owners.

9 April 2022 community drop-In session, with 250 comments- seeking feedback about the values, concerns and suggestions for improvements while concentrating and appreciating wider themes of Island Bay’s merits.

Community drop-in findings (68KB PDF)

27 April 2022 first working group meeting: discussed the groups interest, purpose, project scope, collated and synthesised all the information gathered at the community drop-in, and prioritised the main objectives for the upgrades:

• History and character of Island Bay, visible and relatable (reflected in town centre by seeing value in heritage and history); brought to life through murals and street art.
• Celebrate unique identity of Island Bay (Diversity, History, Communities)
• Make more inviting and a destination to pause improving the quality of public space with furniture and tidy amenities.
• Lighting throughout the streets is seen to be insufficient and critical.
• Upgrade buildings (enhance/painting)
• Increase safety and access within the town centre. (Surfaces, crossings, hazards)
• Assisting businesses (such as signage, promotion, events)
• Mindful of future development- such as intensification and infrastructure.
• Ensuring the town centre functions well.

Design influence document (332KB PDF)

9 May 2022 second working group meeting: looked into the history of Island Bay and completed a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Report (CPTED) (3MB PDF). Furthered design drivers exploring the look and feel of the public space by focusing on 3 key subjects:

• Identity, Character + History
• Safety, Access + Inviting
• Promoting Business + Providing for the Future

These working groups confirmed opportunities as:

• Add to the surrounding vegetation and amenity of the space.
• Celebrate heritage, mana whenua, and place of community.
• Work with or replace furniture.
• Active frontages with public space with amenity and lighting.
• Heritage areas relationship to public space.
• Create new spots for gathering and recreation.
• Updated lighting to create safer spaces
• Ensure town centre provides for the future intensification of Island Bay.

The working groups confirmed the key moves as:

• Focusing on the visibility and interest of the Library and entry to community centre.
• Increase public space at the Library, in front of the west shops, and enhance the existing space next to 138 The Parade.
• Welcome entrance into the main shopping area
• Consider the amenity, planting and visibility of Avon Street and Medway Street intersections
• Safe access for pedestrians at driveways and build-outs onto The Parade, and the pedestrian access laneway.
• Enhance streetscape build-outs with vegetation and signage/placemaking.

In the third working group meeting the Urban Design team will provide pre-design plans and sketches with more specific locations and upgrades.

2 June 2022: The third and final working group meeting covered the findings of the previous meeting, the public survey and presented pre-design plans and themes.

Survey data summary (115KB PDF)

Findings of the second working group:

• “Promoting Businesses and Providing for the Future” identified that spill-out areas and multi-use spaces will provide the most resolved outcome.
• “Safety, Accessibility and Inviting” looks to surface treatments and inviting spaces (seating, stopping and catered to families).
• “History, Identity and Character” will best be addressed with Art/Murals and inviting spaces, where narrative is important.
• Other categories of display boards, lighting and play spaces can be integrated where appropriate. Most lighting concerns will be addressing the CPTED findings.
• Display boards can to the character and amenity of Island Bay Village.
• Play spaces can be integrated in the stopping points or spill-out areas using brief inviting elements.

Summary of working group findings (91KB PDF)

From these, the PSD team provided a draft amenity plan, surface treatment scheme, and art/signage/placemaking location map. Each plan covered potential quantities and locations for seating, lighting, vegetation, other furniture, murals, narrative opportunities, signage, and special surface treatment areas.
The following captures the suggestions of the working group:

• The idea of a Natural style for improvements is welcomed, although ‘modern village’ might be more fitting. Avoid contrast with Heritage;
• Murals are of a strong interest- retain existing;
• Surface treatments focus on light concrete (potentially seashell aggregate);
• Information signage in a couple of specific areas;
• Bespoke unique cycleracks;
• Seating should be cut back. Few bespoke versions with the rest being standard;
• Lighting important down the laneway and uplighting to trees encouraged;
• Event space welcomed;
• Any pavers should be limited and targeted to specific areas;
• Look into a motif to replicate across the Village Centre and beyond;
• Use historic/heritage references throughout Village Centre;
• No further comment on planter beds or raised planters.