Council has a range of strategic projects which will be undertaken during the next 10 years.
The Opotiki Harbour Development
Coastal shipping used the Opotiki Harbour until the mid 1960s. Since the mid 1960s part of the harbour has been reclaimed.
It has been a long held aspiration of the Opotiki community to re-establish the town’s harbour. The redevelopment of the harbour is a priority for the Council. It is considered that the harbour will provide a platform for sustained economic growth in the district by.
- Increasing the overall social, economic and cultural wellbeing of the Opotiki community and the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
- Enhancing recreation opportunities and public access to the coast
- Capitalising on opportunities arising from the proposed offshore Opotiki mussel farm
- Mitigating flooding on the Opotiki town and surrounding area
- Achieving a long-held community aspiration and a high priority Community Outcome
Employment opportunities associated with the development of a 4750 hectare mussel farm venture off the coast of Opotiki, and further potential aquiculture developments will benefit from having all weather harbour access to processing and servicing facilities.
Council has been actively pursuing the harbour development and has evaluated various options for the harbour entrance. A double groyne system has been selected as a preferred option. Engineers have been engaged to carry out detailed modelling of this system to further determine the coastal and river processes in relation to the groynes.
It is expected that consent approvals will take until 2009 and construction will occur between 2009 – 2012.
Historic Precinct Development
A study of buildings in the Opotiki Town Centre identified Opotiki Town Centre as a “resource of regional and national significance”. The report concluded that “the Town Centre is one of the best surviving examples of a town centre from the late 19th Century in the upper North Island” because it “retains today a broad range of building types.”
The community recognises the value of its built heritage and Council, under its Long Term Community Council Plan, has identified that the creation of the Town Centre as an historic precinct is one of the four key priorities for Council in terms of enhancing the environmental quality of the District.
The Council is currently working with Environment Bay of Plenty and the New Zealand Historic Places Trust to assess which methods are most appropriate for the achieving the historic precinct.
The Opotiki Historic Heritage Study has been completed and will be available in March/April 2006. The next steps entail securing further funding to aid the implementation of a Heritage Trail through the town centre and to assist in providing guidance and technical advice to historic building owners seeking to maintain and improve their buildings.
New Te Kaha Resource Recovery Centre
In the 2006/07 year a Resource Recovery Centre will be established at Te Kaha at a cost of $160 000.
New Community Events Centre
An indoor sports venue that will accommodate cultural performances is planned for Memorial Park. It will have outdoor terraced seating for viewing the sports fields and sports courts. This venue will replace the current netball pavilion building.
New Town to Beach Walkway
A high level of support has been expressed both from within Council and the community for the establishment of a walkway from the town area to Waiotahi Beach. This proposal has not yet been confirmed and will be fully investigated within the Walking and Cycling Strategy to be developed in 2008/09. At this point funding options for investigation include Land Transport New Zealand, Development Contributions and the Lotteries Fund.
Public Library Review
To ensure that the library service and resources improve over the next ten years a review of the library is currently underway. A sum of $257 250 has been set aside in 2007/08 for either a new building or the construction of a second story on the existing building.
Opotiki Township Sewage Reticulation
Over the next ten years the Council will upgrade sewage reticulation pipes to reduce storm water infiltration. The cost of this project is $50 000 per year.
Water Supply Upgrades
Upgrades to the water supplies in the district are required so that they comply with the new drinking water standards which came into effect on 31st December 2005.
Growth Management Strategy
The Council will look at a growth management strategy to promote and maintain sustainable growth during the next ten years. It is important for the district that Council recognises the growth implications that development proposals such as the proposed mussel farm and its associated development may have on the area. Results of the growth management strategy will require changes to the District Plan.