Community Board endorses Waikanae Beach community's vision and action plan
The Waikanae Community Board endorsed the local community’s vision and action plan for Waikanae Beach at their meeting at the Waikanae Boating Club on Tuesday night.
Kāpiti Coast District Council Strategy and Planning Group Manager, Sarah Stevenson, says after 18 months of extensive community participation, the Waikanae Beach community presented its plan for the area to the Waikanae Community Board for endorsement.
“This was the culmination of a tremendous amount of interest and hard work by the Waikanae Beach community.”
In September 2015, with the construction of the Kāpiti Expressway and other new developments proposed for Waikanae Beach, the community saw an opportunity to be proactive and state what it wants for the future of the area.
Aware of the changes other communities around the country that are located near new expressway interchanges have experienced, the Waikanae Beach community sought the Council’s help.
Ms Stevenson said the Council agreed to help support the Waikanae Beach community to shape its vision for the future.
“We have done this with other communities on the Kāpiti Coast and the time was right to do this with Waikanae Beach, so the information can be used to help inform our planning and influence future development of the area.”
Kate Morgan, member of the Waikanae Beach Community Futures working group, says it’s been a highly collaborative process.
“Good faith has been shown by residents and the Council throughout this process. The Council ran two incredibly well attended drop-in sessions at Waikanae Beach in September 2015 to identify what the community’s concerns and interests were, as well as what kind of process might be helpful.
“From there a working group made up of local residents was formed and, supported by council staff, met seven times between April and July 2016 to use feedback from the drop-in sessions to develop a community vision and action plan for Waikanae Beach,” Ms Morgan said.
The Waikanae Community Board’s endorsement of ‘Our Future Waikanae Beach’ on Tuesday night recognises the unique local character of the area.
Ms Morgan said the process had been an amazing opportunity for the Waikanae Beach community, providing many opportunities to contribute and to get to know other locals.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how the document generates positive discussion in future, and how it guides the Community Board and the Council’s interactions with our community.”
Ms Stevenson said ‘Our Future Waikanae Beach’ will inform council planning and service provision and a draft plan change.
“The Waikanae Beach vision and action plan looks at what local residents want for their area. It covers the community’s built and natural environments, shared spaces, character and history, and building community resilience among other things – all of which will feed into our planning processes.”
For more information about ‘Our Future Waikanae Beach’, view the Council’s webpage: www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/Waikanae-beach
17 March 2017