Onehunga Bay Reserve and Lagoon
Overview
| Onehunga Bay Reserve draft concept plan
Onehunga Bay Reserve draft concept plan
The aim of the Onehunga Bay Reserve improvements project is to provide for a range of appropriate facilities in the area to
meet the needs of both the local community and the wider district by providing informal recreation opportunities and enhancing
the natural features of the reserve including the vegetation and wetland areas.
The draft concept plan looks at a number of issues that exist within the reserve including:
- The incomplete path network
- Lack of planting structure and gaps in the buffer planting between the park and the motorway
- No access to the deep water of the lagoon
- Poor drainage, leaving much of the park unusable through winter months
- Lack of shade
- Poor park furniture layout
- Poor definition of activity areas
- Limited access to the beach
- Lack of signage
Due to the scale of this project it has been split into four stages, to be
undertaken from mid 2007 to mid 2011.
You can view the draft concept plan and full information about the four stages below:
Draft concept plan
Stage one
- east of lagoon
This has been prioritised because it is the most intensively used area. The proposed work includes the main entrance, car park,
children's play area, new toilet, youth area (skateboard ramp and basketball
half-court), performance stage, pathways and a beach promenade.
Landscape proposals
- 1a - Streetscape/main entrance/car parking
- Streetscape and main entrance improved with pohutukawa trees and low planting below to distinguish it from the adjacent
industrial streetscape. Existing car park improved with separate exit/entry, signage and lighting to avoid pedestrian/vehicle
conflict.
- 1b-Children's play area and new toilet
- Children's play area relocated and upgraded with rubber safety surfacing. Play area and beach area integrated, similar to
Mission Bay. New Novaloo style toilet.
- 1c - Youth area
- New youth area, separate from the children's play area, with basketball half courts and skateboard ramp.
- 1d - Stage/Maintenance access
- Improved vehicle access point for stage and maintenance requirements.
- 1e - Performance stage
- Performance stage (with power) set into existing vegetation and orientated to maximise relationship to the open space.
- 1f - Buffer planting (behind stage site)
- Existing ngaio planting enhanced with flax, cabbage trees, pohutukawa and karaka to screen motorway noise.
- 1g - Open space No. 1
- Open space for stage viewing and informal recreation with minor contouring to provide spatial containment.
- 1h - 'Main Beach' area
- Simple open flowing beach area with 2 metre minimum timber promenade (set flush with lawn area) inset with mosaics to complement
the existing mosaic features in the Onehunga Town streetscape. New electric
barbecues to replace existing. Existing low planting and
rocks removed from beach and enhanced with sand.
Stage two
- west of lagoon and adjacent to State Highway 20
This area is not well used due to poor drainage and a lack of pathways. Development includes
improved screen planting, development of
open space, pedestrian overbridge access, pathways and improvements to the 'little bay' area.
Landscape proposals
- 2i - State Highway 20 screen planting
- Existing screen planting enhanced with mass flax and astelia shrub plantings, groupings of cabbage trees and specimen trees.
- 2j - Open space No. 2
- Existing levels re-graded to drain to an enhanced wetland area. Beachcroft Avenue road frontage contained with 1.5 metre high fencing
for dog "off leash" exercise.
- 2k - Pedestrian overbridge
- Improved access with a gate and signage to link to 'Coast to Coast' walkway.
- 2l - 'Little Bay' area
- Beach enhanced with added sand.
Stage
three - Beachcroft Avenue beach and building
Proposed work includes improvements to the 'Beachcroft' beach, pathways, the building and surrounding area.
Landscape proposals
- 3m - 'Beachcroft' beach
- Beach enhanced with added sand and construct wide timber steps to enhance relationship / access to Beachcroft Road.
- 3n - Building and surrounding area
- Transform existing toilets into changing rooms/refreshment kiosk/café or user group clubrooms. Surrounding area of the
building paved to create a gathering space. New Novaloo style toilet to be located next to children's playgound.
Stage four
- features
This includes development of various features within the reserve including
construction of a jetty, roundabout feature artwork, art installations and
fitness stations.
Landscape proposals
- 4o - Jetty
- Deep-water access to lagoon via timber jetty with nautical themed feature.
- 4p - Roundabout feature
- Nautical themed feature within roundabout surrounded by low stylised native ground cover planting.
Opportunity for an artwork to be integrated around the base of the feature
- 4q - Art installations
- Sizeable art installations located on the far side of the lagoon for optimal viewing impact.
- 4r - Fitness stations
- Relocate existing fitness equipment to 'fitness stations' along footpath network to form a circuit around the park.
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General notes
- Footpath network
- Footpath network upgraded with a minimum 1.8m wide exposed aggregate concrete path with shell and charcoal oxide. Footpath
strength suitable for maintenance vehicles.
- Acoustic barrier
- If State Highway 20 is widened to allow for additional lanes and rail corridor, consideration to be given to an acoustic
panel barrier installed along the boundary.
- Power pylons
- Consider nautical themed colour treatment to existing power pylons.
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