Councillors Approve Landscaping Option For Number 2 High Street

A landscape design showing gently grassed terracing coupled with space for a commercial activity at street level at Number 2 High Street has won councillors’ backing at a meeting of the Council’s Community and Financial Planning Committee today.

The Mayor says the favoured option for the Council-owned site is the closest design he has seen to the original concept that was the subject of a public workshop during the preparation of the Council’s Urban Design Strategy.

“It maintains the town’s connection with the river itself; it will give us usable public green space along the riverside and it will create an attractive view of the town for traffic coming off State Highway One,” he said.

Mr Sowman says the support for the proposed landscape plan is also a message to developers.

“They can see the footprint that will be available for a commercial activity on the balance of the High Street site,” he said.

However Mayor Alistair Sowman says there are issues yet to be resolved before this proposal can become a reality.

“Today’s decision was simply about landscaping that would acknowledge the value of the site to the town. If the full Council decides this is the preferred landscaping option, further decisions would have to be made about how to fund that work and the time-frame for it.”

Mr Sowman said he would want to see a commercial proposal which would help fund the landscape work.

However that would be a decision for a later date, he said.

“Today’s decision wasn’t about an ale house or a peace house or any other activity. We were simply looking for a landscaping option for the site that meets the objectives of our Urban Design Strategy and I’m pleased that there was an option that won clear approval.”
The plan was prepared by Blenheim architect Tim Barton.