A group of local volunteers has received more criticism of its draft plan to “future proof” Wānaka’s CBD but the group has defended its work, saying the relocation of lakefront car parks will connect the lakefront to the town centre without sacrificing the total number of parks.

Heart of Wānaka’s (HOW) final draft plan - described as “an advisory document for future development” - was criticised at the public forum of the Wānaka Upper Clutha Community Board (WUCCB) last week (Thursday July  27) and has been slammed on social media, primarily because of concerns that the plan would remove parking from the town centre.

About HOW 

Heart of Wānaka spokesperson Andrew ‘Howie’ Howard told the Wānaka App this week the group of volunteers were “just a bunch of engaged locals who want our town to be better” and were willing to put in the time.

The group includes Howie, WUCCB member Chris Hadfield (who owns Ritual Cafe), landscape architect Garth Falconer, property owner Steve Norman, retailers’ representative Lucy Lucas, and teacher Markus Hermanns.

“We draw on decades of experience of people living in Wānaka” he said, adding the group has “developed a really deep and rich knowledge” of what a range of groups want for the CBD.

“What we can provide is two years worth of conversations, feedback, discussions, designs… and a holistic view.”

Heart of Wānaka spokesperson Andrew Howard PHOTO: Supplied

Car parks would increase under HOW plan

Currently there are 660 parking spaces from Dungarvon Street to Hedditch Street, and under the proposed Heart of Wānaka plan they would increase to 667.

“The key thing we are looking at is reducing parking on the lakefront and moving it to Hedditch Street,” Howie said.

Making that work would require parking management: more short term parks for shoppers and visitors and long term parks for workers, he said.

“A lot of workers park in town, which is not good for business owners - they want those car parks available for customers,” he said.

Howie said the plan aims to connect the lakefront with the CBD, by reducing the amount of “concrete and asphalt” between the two.

‘Safe and easy access for all’

Wānaka resident Kate Bariletti spoke at the WUCCB meeting asking for “more parks, more disabled parks, and closer to the lake, if we want to keep the seniors coming into town and being included in what’s going on”.

HOW wants to decrease the amount of concrete and asphalt between the township and the lakefront. PHOTO: Wānaka App

Howie said he understood her point of view and that a guiding principle for the HOW process was “safe and easy access for all”.

“The plan we have now is not explicit enough [about access for] mobility impaired people,” he said.

Parking management would provide “more parking in the right places for the right periods of time”, he said.

“Not everyone wants a short term park next to a shop, but some people need it. It’s not a perfect system but it’s better than what we’ve got at the moment which is essentially a free-for-all.”

Landlords’ concerns

At last week’s WUCCB meeting Wānaka Town Centre Business Group ‘pro-tem’ chair Brian Kreft said he had “material concerns” about the possibility of a reduction of car parks in the CBD; and Queenstown lawyer Graeme Todd (representing the Property Owners Group ) warned the board the plan could not be given any official status as it was completed by a third-party group, rather than by QLDC.

Howie admitted to being “a bit frustrated” by Graeme’s comments as HOW had already told the Property Owners Group the status of the plan. 

“The next piece of work from council is the parking strategy for the town centre. Any work and development is still going to require council to do its own business plans.”

A new process

Howie said the group had undertaken a new community-led process. 

“We’ve been navigating our own pathway, that’s required us to change and adapt and rethink.

“It’s not the normal way of doing things, but the normal way of doing things has not served people well in the past: Three town centre consultations have failed.”

Howie said the usual council process is to “employ a consultant from Auckland, Wellington, or Christchurch … undertake consultation, complete the plan, hand it to council and leave town”.

“And I don’t think you get the level of support.”

He said he would follow the HOW process again. “I don’t know if we’d do that much different.”

“The town centre plan is enormously complex because everyone is a stakeholder, there are a lot of well established views on how this place should be and a lot of bold new views.

“The town centre supports an awful lot of people and businesses to stay in Wānaka so we need to be really careful about what we do ”

Read more:

Heart of Wānaka group hands over ‘living document’

Pushback on CBD car parking plan

Read the full Heart of Wānaka draft plan here.