PARKS and OPEN SPACES STRATEGY 2021 – 51 Draft
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RAUTAKI MŌ NGĀ PAPA RĒHIA ME NGĀ WĀHI WĀTEA PARKS AND OPEN SPACES STRATEGY 2021 – 51 Draft Ki tua o te pae Planning ahead QUALITY INFORMATION DOCUMENT CONSULTATION Title Rautaki mō ngā Papa Rēhia me ngā Wāhi Wātea Pre-draft Consultation Jul-Nov 2020 Parks and Open Spaces Strategy Draft approved by Council 10 March 2021 2021-51 Call for submissions 16 March 2021 Document reference(s) 19/2043 Submissions closed Version Draft for public consultation Hearing details Date March 2021 Approval CONTRIBUTORS Adopted by Council ARPro Operative from Prepared by Mark Naudé , Parks & Facilities Planner With assistance from Xyst Limited Park Central Tangata Whenua Working Party Reviewed by Susanne Kampshof, Asset Manager Strategy & Policy 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 6.3 Links with other Council strategies, policies & plans 20 6.3.1 Long Term Plan 21 6.3.2 Asset Management Plan 21 1. INTRODUCTION 9 6.3.3 Reserve Management Plans 22 6.3.4 District Plan 22 2. PARKS AND OPEN SPACES 10 6.3.5 Bylaws 22 2.1 What do we mean by ‘Parks and Open Spaces’? 10 6.4 How we use it 23 2.2 Why are Parks and Open Spaces important? 10 2.3 What we currently provide 11 7. HOW WE DEVELOPED THE STRATEGY 24 2.4 Other providers 14 8. CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES 26 3. THE PURPOSE OF THE STRATEGY 15 8.1 An aging population 26 8.2 Sport and recreation trends 28 4. COUNCIL’S ROLE 16 8.3 Social trends 29 5. TANGATA WHENUA 18 8.4 Tourism trends 29 8.5 Environmental trends 29 6. CONTEXT 19 8.6 Working with others 30 8.6.1 Tangata Whenua 30 6.1 Legislation 19 8.6.2 Volunteers 32 6.2 National and Regional Strategies, Policies, 8.6.3 Other agencies 33 Plans, & Programmes 19 8.6.4 Private entities 34 8.7 Provision equity 35 8.7.1 One district, three towns 35 8.7.2 Historical legacies 35 8.7.3 Geographic factors 36 3 8.8 Sub-optimal spaces 36 12.2 Matamata 68 12.2.1 Analysis 69 8.9 Utilisation 37 12.2.2 Response 73 8.10 Play value 37 12.3 Morrinsville 76 8.11 Accessibility 38 12.3.1 Analysis 77 8.11.1 Access in general 38 12.3.2 Response 81 8.11.2 Access for people with disabilities or special needs 38 12.4 Te Aroha 84 8.12 Connectivity 39 12.4.1 Analysis 85 8.13 Compliance 40 12.4.2 Response 92 8.14 Community expectations 40 12.5 Rural Settlements 95 8.14.1 Standards, specifications & industry guidelines 41 12.5.1 Analysis 96 8.14.2 Surveys & benchmarking 41 12.5.2 Response 100 8.14.3 Performance Measures & Complaint Analysis 41 8.14.4 Specialist Reports 41 12.6 Rural Areas 101 8.15 Aging assets 42 12.6.1 Analysis 101 12.6.2 Response 101 8.16 Natural Disasters 42 8.17 Pandemics 42 13. ACTION PLAN 102 9. VISION 43 14. MONITORING & REVIEW 103 10. PRINCIPLES 45 15. AMENDMENTS & UPDATES 104 11. STRATEGIC GOALS 46 16. APPENDICES 105 12. STRATEGIC APPROACHES & PLACE-BASED STRATEGIES 47 12.1 District 47 12.1.1 Analysis 47 12.1.2 Response 57 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OUR VISION Our parks and open spaces network meets the recreation needs of our community and protexts our natural and cultural heritage. 5 OUR STRATEGY IN A NUTSHELL VISION Our parks and open spaces network meets the future recreation needs of our community and protects our natural and cultural heritage PRINCIPLES Maintain and enhance the Consider our Protect and enhance Informed Plan ahead Working with others parks & open spaces network community our heritage decision-making STRATEGIC GOALS Tangata Whenua have Our parks and Our parks and Our parks and Our natural Our parks and meaningful opportunities open spaces meet Our parks and open spaces open spaces heritage is open spaces to input into how our the diverse and open spaces protect and enable our understood, are enhanced parks and open spaces changing needs of are valued celebrate our community to be protected and by community are planned, developed our communities and cared for cultural heritage active and healthy enhanced partnerships and managed and visitors and identity STRATEGIC APPROACHES & PLACE-BASED STRATEGIES ACTIONS 6 GUIDING PRINCIPLES PRINCIPLES Maintain and enhance the Consider our Protect and Informed Working parks & open Plan ahead community enhance our decision-making with others spaces network heritage • Take a holistic, • Prepare for the future • Consider • Protect and enhance • Our staff are • We have good network-based • Monitor and respond community needs our natural heritage appropriately trained working relationships approach to to trends • Consider wider • Protect and enhance and developed with Tangata Whenua, management other agencies, • Effective planning community benefits our cultural-historical • We keep up with • Develop & maintain heritage industry good practice landowners, and • Adaptable to change • Provide opportunities community groups parks and open for community • We monitor trends spaces appropriately • Consider stakeholder, involvement where that impact on parks • We work with others for their purpose user and visitor needs practicable and open spaces to achieve efficiencies and synergies • Enhance the network • Recognise stories • We use reliable data to meet changing and intangible values to aid decision-making • We support volunteer community needs programmes associated with parks • We apply sound and spaces and projects that judgement are sustainable, • We consider the achievable, and align relevant benefits, with our vision and costs, risks, rewards strategic priorities of our actions 7 PURPOSE OF THE STRATEGY The Parks and Open Spaces Strategy sets a long-term vision for our parks and Over the next 30 years we plan to open spaces network. work on: • Providing the right parks and open It guides decision-making about the provision, development and management of parks and open spaces, to spaces in the right places ensure we have the right parks and open spaces, in the right locations, managed in the right way, to meet the • Better connections between parks needs of our communities. The Parks and Open Spaces Strategy guides and informs the way we do things. and open spaces • Improving our current parks and open spaces STRATEGIC VISION FOR PARKS & OPEN SPACES • Improving our current playgrounds and providing more where needed Provision Development Management • Providing a broad range of tracks and trails for different abilities • Ensuring our town centres are • What types of parks or • What should they look like? • How should we look after attractive and vibrant open spaces do we need? them? • What should they have? • Improving our working relationships • How many do we need? • How should it be done? • What are the priorities? with Tangata Whenua • Working smarter with other agencies • Where should they be? • When should it be done? • Who does what? and volunteer groups • How will we get them? • How do we fund it? • Who should do it? • Telling our local stories better at our parks • Looking after our natural areas better Chapters 10 to 13 explain in more detail how we plan to do this. While it does identify potential projects and programmes as means to achieve our goals it is not intended to be a detailed project plan or development plan. 8 1 INTRODUCTION In 2013 we adopted our first Open Spaces Strategy after consultation with our community. The Strategy set a long-term vision for the provision, development and management of the Parks and Open Spaces network provided by Matamata-Piako District Council over a 20 year period. A few things have changed since then and it is time to review the strategy in light of things like: • Population changes • Growth • Legislation and policy changes • Sport, recreation, tourism and environmental management trends • Community expectations and aspirations. We have more recent census data and population projects available as well as greater clarity on the range and scale of residential developments. Applying the strategy over more than seven years also highlighted a few opportunities for improvement/refinement. We have also considered how the strategy might address Tangata Whenua aspirations and key issues raised by our community. Surveys and workshops in 2020 identified a number of broad issues and opportunities. A tangata whenua working party was established and provided input into the strategy from a Māori perspective. When drafting the revised strategy, we considered the main issues identified in the feedback from the surveys, stakeholder workshops and mana whenua hui. The Draft Parks and Open Spaces Strategy was approved for public consultation on 10 March 2021. We are now seeking feedback on the draft strategy. 9 2 PARKS AND OPEN SPACES 2.1 WHAT DO WE MEAN BY Among other benefits, they: • provide spaces for people of all ages ‘PARKS AND OPEN SPACES’? to play, exercise, socialise or relax This Strategy is primarily concerned with Parks • contribute to physical and mental health and Open Spaces owned or managed by • protect natural and historical heritage Matamata-Piako District Council. • provide venues for community events For the purpose of this strategy, • celebrate local identity Parks and Open Spaces includes: • break up the built environment in urban • Parks & Reserves and residential areas • Sports fields • provide shade and shelter • Playgrounds • beautify of local communities • Walking and tramping tracks • provide habitat for wildlife • Cycle and mountain bike trails • serve as green corridors for the movement • Beautification areas of native animals and plants • Town centre gardens and street furniture • provide linkages between communities • offer safe alternative transport corridors 2.2 WHY ARE PARKS AND for walking and cycling • mitigate urban heating and flooding OPEN SPACES IMPORTANT? • improve air and water quality Parks and Open Spaces provide many social, health, economic, and environmental benefits.