Diamond Harbour sets course for future

Community-driven development plans are evolving for Diamond Harbour.

In a fresh approach to planning in the harbourside settlement, multiple initiatives to improve the village area and Stoddart Point Reserve have been distilled and defined by the wider community in collaboration with the Council.

Supported by a cross-Council project team, the Diamond Harbour Community Association – as “owner of the action plan” – has helped residents prioritise and focus on the area’s needs.

A community-driven development plan has been created for Diamond Harbour.

“Our association has taken the lead role in project scoping and community engagement,” Diamond Harbour Community Association chairman Richard Suggate says.

“The process of consolidating ideas has helped the community recommit to projects with enthusiasm, and focus on themes to monitor progress more easily.”

Under the updated 2017 Getting to the Point Community Action Plan, several projects will be implemented by the community while others will require the community to advocate for funding via the Annual Plan or the Long Term Plan.

All the projects are interrelated, with a staged development process.

Among the proposed community-led projects are collaborative commercial development, and improved information and more amenities, along with a greater focus on arts, culture and events.

Among the projects that the community wants the Council to lead are the redevelopment of the Godley House site, the implementation of the Stoddart Point Reserve Management Plan, and improvements to the wharf area.

With the community’s second major initiative – the Diamond Harbour Village Development Plan – residents have targeted an integrated package of transport-related infrastructure improvements to the local area.

“We want to improve safety and ‘wayfinding’ by pedestrians, cyclists and motorists,” Mr Suggate says.

“The proposed plan includes new surface paving, footpaths, landscaping, street furniture, a new road link and delineated parking spaces, along with signage.”

Both initiatives have drawn heavily on the experience of the local community and the Council project team, comprising staff from Urban Regeneration, Community Governance and Vertical Capital Delivery and Professional Services.

A third community initiative will focus on a new Stoddart Point Reserve track.

Council Head of Urban Design, Regeneration and Heritage, Carolyn Ingles says community commitment and expertise have helped ensure a great partnership.

“The Diamond Harbour developments illustrate the multiple benefits of community collaboration on a wider scale,” Ms Ingles says.

Council Community Governance Manager, Banks Peninsula-Lyttelton, Joan Blatchford has also been impressed by the degree of collaboration between community representatives and the Council project team.

“Based on this successful collaboration, more areas are likely to explore a community-led approach to village planning,” Ms Blatchford says.