City Centre core amenity upgrades

The current bus terminal location and the way it is used is affecting the safety and functionality of the roading system and the usability of The Landing for events. To address these issues and provide safer and more efficient services, it is proposed that the terminal is moved with a trial on Gill Street. This will free up Ariki Street and provide opportunity for its upgrade into an active street. 

Running east-west Ariki Street divides The Landing from the Huatoki Plaza and lower Brougham Street.  Moving the bus terminal provides an opportunity for Ariki Street to be used as a shared space that will allow The Landing, lower Brougham Street and the Huatoki Plaza to work together to cater for large events with minimal logistical barriers. The section from Egmont Street to Currie Street could be sealed off to through traffic as needed with removable or retractable bollards and operate as a typical shared space day to day. 

The car park space on the corners of Egmont, Ariki and King streets has the potential to be a park space that could contain urban play elements. Play spaces will provide for families and offer purpose for city centre visits. The temporary bus terminal building could be removed or repurposed as a commercial pavilion on the park’s edge.  Alternatively, the site could be developed by NPDC with development partners to create an exemplary commercial and residential development. 

Opportunities to activate the built edges of Ariki Street should be investigated. The offering of Puke Ariki Museum and Library could potentially be amplified and further stitched into the city’s fabric by perforating walls and addressing lower Brougham and Ariki streets. Opportunities to further the offering of Puke Ariki for manaakitanga, and gathering with whānau and manuhiri should be explored in these edges.   

The sites on the northeast corner of Ariki and Egmont streets intersection are prime development sites that could be attractive to an anchor institution or similar. An active development of significance on this site paired with an Ariki Street upgrade would add activity and vibrancy to this part of the city centre. Opportunity should be sought with potential developers or institutions to realise a landmark building on this site.  

The over-stretched Devon Street needs a definitive focus. The 1.6km stretch of Devon Street with the city centre can be described as a sequence made up of three definitive areas: Queen to Liardet –The Core; Liardet to Gover – The Hill; and Gover to Elliot – Eastern Devon. 

The Core is the traditional centre of the city where higher footfall, active side streets and most retail and commercial offerings are concentrated. A priority of private-vehicle movement and parking has stretched it over time to the east up The Hill and beyond. The stretching effect has spread activity and diluted vibrancy within the city centre. Devon Street as a traditional high street is too long for the current and projected population of New Plymouth to retain a sustainable vibrancy in its current function as primarily retail focused. This has become more apparent recently with the increase in online over bricks-and-mortar retail offerings exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the increase in vacant shops. 

Devon Street needs to react to the global trend of central cities shifting from being ‘Central Business Districts’ to ‘City Centres’ where cities are more and more about experience, employment and supporting living at density, and less about a monoculture of retail focus. To support active edges, encourage a variety of business types in its adjacent buildings and to attract people to use the street, a focus on amenity investment and use type is required.  

The Core of Devon Street between Queen and Liardet Street will need to evolve into a high-quality, high-amenity space indicating that it is clearly the core of the city centre, definitively different to the rest of Devon Street.  Key amenity infrastructure upgrades and improvement will include: 

• Additional greening including canopy and lower planting.
• Supporting features for active edges including wider footpaths that allow for clear accessible and sheltered pedestrian movement, level areas and ability to create Licence to Occupy spaces (LTOs).
• Open spaces of interest and nodes that may include sculptures and artwork, play elements and other unique features.
• Raised pedestrian crossings and tables over large areas that elevate pedestrian priority and calm traffic speeds.
• Additional street furniture that encourages group seating, sharing of food and gathering.
• Prioritise pedestrians along Devon Street, discourage through traffic and divert parking to the fringes.
• Access for low mobility users including retention of mobility parking.
• Ample loading bays and zones to allow for deliveries and support businesses. 
• Bike parking and other micro mobility infrastructure that supports active modes.
• Wayfinding elements and signage linked to wider public spaces and city centre loops. 

Greening of Devon Street Masterplan

The greening of Devon Street will take a people first approach,  be pragmatic and sustainable and respond to cultural values.  More information on the Masterplan can be found below:

Currie Street as a link between the two retail and commercial hubs of Devon Street and Centre City shopping centre means it has one of the highest footfalls in New Plymouth. The street is well laid out with wide paths, active edges, established native trees, shelter and a north south aspect means it takes advantage of the sun. The street hosts Farmers Markets on Sunday mornings for these reasons and is often closed off during larger events.  

Feedback from the engagement phases of the Strategy indicated that access to affordable fresh food and market activity at night-time would be desirable. This supports living in a city centre and provides convenience, variety and events. Currie Street is well placed to be the prime outdoor marketplace in New Plymouth. It’s envisioned that it becomes a quality shared space environment that can host markets and events while still functioning as a city centre street that is vibrant and accessible.  

To enable this the street will need:  

• To be at a single grade without kerbs to increase flexibility for events and to improve pedestrian accessibility.
• To be car light with pedestrian priority, but with allowance for accessible parking and service vehicles. 
• New planting and trees to provide canopies for shade and shelter and higher amenity value to enhance market events. 
• Quality seating and other furniture items that allow for group seating, sharing of food and a market atmosphere. 
• Quality paving that elevates a sense of quality and pedestrian priority. 

Currie Street currently holds opportunities that can be taken in the short term to expand and activate its potential. These include the opportunity to consolidate The Mill, Farmers and Craft markets and the Sunday markets and host them all on Currie Street. To unlock this NPDC will need to identify logistical barriers and offer practical solutions to support the markets. 

Long term, King Street is seen as continuing its function as popular pedestrian connection between the west end and the city centre including Puke Ariki and the Coastal Walkway. Following the move of the main bus station to Gill Street, buses will no longer be required to travel on King Street, allowing for changes in the carriageway and intersection with Egmont Street. Currently the pedestrian infrastructure is not fit for purpose. Footpaths are tight, the carriageway is wider than it needs to be, and the street lacks safe crossing points at Queen Street and Egmont Street intersections. There are opportunities in the short term to install temporary crossing points to make it safer, prior to a full permanent upgrade. A full upgrade might include tightening the carriageway, widening footpaths, new street trees and planting and wayfinding elements.