Free coffee and cake is being given away outside Trustpower on Durham Street between 11.30am and 1.30pm today.

But you have to give council staff and councillors some ideas about the way Durham Street should be developed over the next three years.

City councillors are tapping public design expertise for a guide to the future look and feel of some key city centre streets, staring with the Durham Street coffee and cake meeting outside Trustpower today.

Councillors and staff will also be tapping public thoughts on how Durham Street, Durham Lane, Elizabeth Street east, The southern Strand Extension, Wharf Street east, Aspen Reserve and Masonic Park can be redeveloped over the next three years at the Street Food Festival and official opening of the new waterfront tidal stairs and pier on Saturday, May 6, from 11am to 2pm.

The community feedback will help Council to design these priority areas. If people cannot make it on Thursday or Saturday, feedback can be emailed to [email protected].

The University of Waikato is delighted to be working with Tauranga City Council on the design of the streetscape for Durham St and Durham Lane, says senior deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Alister Jones.

'There are exciting opportunities to create a tertiary precinct linking the University site, Toi Ohomai Bongard Centre and the proposed student accommodation facility in Durham Street. The partnership between city, tertiary institutions and accommodation developers is vital in creating a vibrant and safe environment for students, families and the whole community,” says Allister.

The opening of the new campus is scheduled for 2020, but it could be earlier than this.

Revitalising the southern end of The Strand, adjacent to the Matapihi Rail Bridge and Harbourside restaurant, will create a water edge place for people to gather, says city transformation general manager Jaine Lovell-Gadd.

Also at the Saturday waterfront community engagement event will be BOP Regional Council staff who want water access from their building basement across southern end of the Strand Extension

'The enhancement of this area offers an opportunity to partner with them and create improved access,” says Jaine.