As the Birkenhead Neighbourhood Plan (BNP) was developed through extensive community and stakeholder input, it provides a strong platform to advocate for the principles that represent the communities’ aspirations.
Auckland Council has started to consider what to do with the former Rawene Road carpark which was seriously damaged as a result of slips late last year. The BNP advocates for improved connectivity between the village centre and the surrounding area so it would be great to see some new walkways down to Chelsea Estate in the remedial work.
This is an opportunity to consider new ideas such as an art gallery, public spaces, viewing platform, underground carparking and mixed-use development (eg hotel, apartments, offices). As the discussions with the council progress, we will be promoting use and development of the site that delivers the BNP principles, while also supporting local business needs.
Connectivity has also been a strong theme in discussions on the future of the Birkenhead War Memorial Park; including improving connections between the village centre and the park so that children can safely cross Highbury Bypass. Other themes discussed that were in line with our plan’s principles, include the need for future facilities to be quality designed, the area to be family-friendly and a safe park environment.
It is great to see Birkenhead well represented on the Big Hoot 2018 trail with two giant owls and two owlets developed by local schools. This is a wonderful concept in line with our village feel principle and it’s a lovely excuse to explore Auckland in order to ‘capture’ as many owls as possible.
What’s next...
A new brochure has been designed with support from Voice design (voicebrandagency.com) agency and photographs courtesy of Phil Fogle (philfogle.com). These brochures will be distributed to help promote the community’s vision and to advocate for facilities and developments that help us to meet our goals.
The Birkenhead Residents Association and our Neighbourhood Plan working group are volunteer led. Please join up today – your membership helps the Association continue to represent the wonderful neighbourhood of Birkenhead. To find out more, visit us at www.bra.org.nz.
