Downtown Tauranga is requesting feedback over the weekend from businesses operating in the CBD area, about the street upgrades proposed for the Tauranga city centre.

An email sent out to central city businesses on Friday night by Downtown Tauranga invites feedback from members, so that the organisation can share this at a live-streamed council meeting on Monday morning, February 12, where proposals will be considered.

In the email to members Downtown Tauranga says “we appreciate that this is a lot of information to digest in a short space of time”.

“As many businesses will now be aware, Tauranga City Council are proposing to upgrade the streets of the city centre to provide wider footpaths, greener spaces and one-way streets to bring about several improvements in a trial to make Tauranga city centre more attractive and help people move around more easily,” writes a Downtown Tauranga spokesperson in the letter to members.

“The proposals will be considered at a Tauranga City Council meeting on Monday, 12 February. If approved, the one-way traffic system would be introduced to parts of Harington, Hamilton, Wharf, Spring and Willow streets during March and remain in place for at least two years during the city centre transformation.”

Downtown Tauranga emphasises in the letter to members that they have raised their concerns with the council in regards to this proposal, “in particular the timeframes and levels of transparency at which this has been communicated”.

“We are now inviting feedback from members regarding these proposed changes.”

The statement in the letter includes important points that have been noted by Tauranga City Council in relation to these proposed changes:

• A one-way system could create safety benefits by slowing down vehicles, reducing the number of intersections, and improving visibility
• It would also create space for wider footpaths, planter boxes, street art and other opportunities to make the city centre more attractive and accessible
• With many building projects ramping up in our city centre, the one-way system would reduce the need for road closures because space could more easily be provided beside the street for construction activities when needed.
• Willow Street would be open to cyclists in both directions.
• This project could help support walking, cycling and safer motoring for people of all ages and abilities
• If approved, most of the project would be completed over a few weeks in March. Some additional work, such as planting would occur later with minimal disruption.
• The changes would be monitored and reviewed as a pilot to see if they should be retained, altered or extended through other parts of the downtown area.

“TCC has also advised, that in an unrelated move, a small section of Willow Street - between Wharf Street and Hamilton Street - will be permanently closed at a date yet to be determined to allow for the construction of the new civic precinct, TeManawataki o Te Papa, and ultimately create a pedestrian plaza.,” says a Downtown Tauranga spokesperson.

"The new one-way system in the surrounding streets would be retained when this closure occurs.

“Later in the year, at least 200 more parking spaces will become available at Panorama Towers on Hamilton Street and 106 spaces at a car park on Devonport Road.”

Monday’s meeting will be livestreamed on Tauranga City Council’s website here.

Find out more about the vision for the future of Tauranga in the Council’s City Centre Action and Investment Plan 2022-32.