A number of exciting projects are underway as part of the transformation of Birkenhead - building on the success of the Birkenhead Library and continuing to make Birkenhead a welcoming destination and successful town centre.
You can find out more about the Birkenhead Transformation at the following events:
Open day: Nell Fisher Reserve, Outside Birkenhead Library, Sunday 7 December 2014, 10am-12pm.
Drop-in sessions: Birkenhead Library, 9 and 11 December, 3.30pm-5.30pm.
Within the next 12 months the programme will deliver a new public space overlooking Le Roy’s Bush on Birkenhead Avenue, improve the Rawene Public Car Park and create a welcoming entrance to the centre on Hinemoa Street.
Other work includes advancing the design to rejuvenate Highbury Corner and making improvements to a bus stop on Mokoia Road.
These projects and more will be delivered by Kaipātiki Local Board over the next two years, helping achieve, at a local level, Auckland Council’s vision of being the world’s most liveable city.
Le Roy’s Lookout
The Auckland council-owned site on Birkenhead Avenue will be repurposed to create a vibrant public space that connects the town centre with Le Roy’s Bush, one of the largest areas of urban bush in Auckland.
Le Roy’s Lookout will be a significant viewing platform, complimented by an adjacent café space, both enjoying views across the bush. The public space could be used for performances and public activities and will create another new destination that encourages people to visit.
Making the most of Birkenhead’s green open space helps to achieve Auckland Council’s vision of creating the world’s most liveable city, complimenting other town centre improvements.
Rawene Public Car Park
The Rawene Public Car Park will be upgraded to make it more user friendly and better connected to the Birkenhead Library.
There will be 119 parking spaces for visitors and shoppers. It will provide a number of new pedestrian improvements - a wide new walkway along the northern edge of the car park linking the new Mokoia Road steps and a new pedestrian crossing on Rawene Road.
Reconfiguring the entry and exits to the car park enables a better connection to be made to the Birkenhead Library. A new pedestrian link will make crossing within the middle of the car park safer.
The improvements will increase visibility, accessibility and safety as well as creating a platform at the top of the new Mokoia Road steps for people to enjoy the views.
You can provide feedback on more user friendly parking stay times proposed by Auckland Transport, both here and in the town centre.
Birkenhead Town Centre Parking Consultation - online survey
You can find out more about changes to parking in the Rawene Public Car Park and parts of Mokoia Road, Hinemoa Street and Rawene Road on the Auckland Transport news and events page.
The Southern Entrance
The intersection at Hinemoa Street and Enterprise Street is the first of three to be improved to make the entrances to the town centre more welcoming.
It will create more public space on the corner with new planting and seating areas. Crossing both Hinemoa and Enterprise Streets will be improved by a new pedestrian crossing on Hinemoa Street and slightly narrowing the entrance to Enterprise Street. People using the new public space will help make everyone more aware of each other - not just here but elsewhere in the town centre.
Improvements to the other two town centre entrances, to the north at the intersection of Birkenhead Avenue and Hammond Place, and at the western end of Mokoia Road, are to be delivered by mid-2016.
Highbury Corner
Also planned over the next two years is transforming Highbury Corner, the heart of the town centre, into more of a destination. It will take advantage of views of the local landscape and buildings and connections to the library, streets and surrounding shops.
Some of the key features that will make Highbury Corner more user friendly for everyone include:
widening the footpaths in front of surrounding shops to create more public space
new pedestrian refuges near the roundabout
improved pedestrian crossings
creating a mountable roundabout for larger vehicles to easily drive around
better links to Birkenhead Library
removal of existing large trees
new trees at existing pedestrian crossings slightly back from the central space.
Other projects
More projects are proposed to continue enhancing Birkenhead Town Centre.
These include improvements to:
the Mokoia Road bus stop
the two other entrances to the town centre, at the intersection of Birkenhead Avenue and Hammond Place, and at the western end of Mokoia Road
general improvements to other pedestrian crossings.
The projects will continue to make Birkenhead town centre a destination for locals and visitors.