Ideas from tamariki come to life in playground designs
* This is an artist's impression of the new playground area at the lakefront.To the left of this area is where the new ticketing offices and food and beverage outlets will be located and behind the playground remains the Village Green. Click on image to enlarge
Memorial Drive redevelopment
Plans to transform Memorial Drive into a space that better reflects and honors those that have served in the New Zealand armed forces were also shared with the committee.
Council has been working with the RSA to redevelop Memorial Drive into a plaza to create more open space. The memorial gateway will remain and existing plaques will be moved closer to the lakefront, allowing more space for reflection. This space also aims to provide better support for events on the Village Green such as markets and concerts.
Parking and public toilets
Car parking was also discussed with most of the new car parks to be located on Memorial Drive and Tutanekai Street. Parking will also be available throughout the Lakefront to ensure users can park close to the amenities they want to visit. Parking spaces are set to remain at 171 which is the same amount of spaces currently available. Mobility parks will double and extra trailer and bus parks will be created. A brand new toilet block including a fully accessible toilet will also be built on Tutanekai Street.
The next steps for the Lakefront development include tendering for the playground and Memorial Plaza work and prepping the land for the new playground and toilet block construction.
Rotorua Lakes Council has allocated $20 million to the Rotorua lakefront development with matched funding coming from Central Government's Provincial Growth Fund to enable the project to be completed over the next three years. The project was recognised by the Government for its ability to create over 470 jobs. Learn more about this project here.