An initiative to develop a community-driven Wānaka town centre plan is gathering momentum.

Last week Heart of Wānaka steering group members presented an update on progress to the Wānaka Community Board (WCB) and the group has set up two public drop-in sessions to seek feedback. 

The aim of the Heart of Wānaka initiative is to coordinate an integrated town centre development which will feed into the council’s planning and channel funding to where it is most needed.

Its key vision is to optimise ‘the lakeside heart of Wānaka’ as a thriving, welcoming community centre.

Heart of Wānaka was officially launched at a WCB meeting in May but the steering group behind it - which comprises local representatives from the community, schools, retailers, design, business and property owners - has been meeting monthly since a public meeting in July last year. 

Heart of Wānaka steering group leader Andrew Howard says the group is not “reinventing the wheel” for town planning.

Instead, it is putting together a plan “that will address the changing post-Covid world, community concerns and aspirations”.

“A key feature of the planning is not to provide a single 30 year masterplan which is difficult to attain in a growing area and a diversity of opinion,” he said. 

The steering group plans to present two plans: one a short term plan with “obvious” items that could be completed within a five year time frame, and a second, longer term vision plan that contains “the more aspirational and complex ideas”. 

It has put together some draft ideas for a first round of engagement which includes seven key principles to guide development and funding.

Members of the public are encouraged to head along to the Heart of Wānaka drop-in sessions taking place next week to learn more. 

Andrew said when Heart of Wānaka has gathered and assessed the community feedback it would develop and share a “more refined” set of plans with the public.

The group hopes that, with broad support from the community, it will have a plan ready to take to the WCB for adoption in early 2023. 

The public drop-in sessions will be held at the Lake Wānaka Centre on Wednesday August 24 (12-2pm and 5-7pm) and Friday August 26 (10am-12pm and 4-6pm).

Heart of Wānaka was created after a public meeting when it was discovered that there was a desire for the community - rather than the council - to coordinate the town centre’s development.

If the Heart of Wānaka plan is adopted, Queenstown Lakes District Council would continue to be in charge of planning and funding of the CBD development.

The area covered in Heart of Wānaka plans include the wider CBD and Roys Bay, from Wānaka Station Park to Anderson Heights and Mount Aspiring College.

PHOTO: Wānaka App