By prioritising pedestrians, catering for a wider variety of uses and making better connections with the adjacent town centre, a beachfront reserve is transformed into a community hub.
Originally dotted with baches, the Council has developed this reserve progressively since the 1960's when it began purchasing beachfront properties to provide a continuous beachfront reserve.
Browns Bay Beach Front Reserve is a well used half kilometre long informal recreation reserve which is sandwiched between the beach and the busy town centre. The reserve provides a wide range of facilities including: a skate park, playground and recently completed pedestrian promenade.
The recent upgrade to Beach Front Lane provides an interface between the beachfront reserve and the town centre. The upgrade to the lane included the installation of a pedestrian promenade, a series of plazas which provide better connections with the town centre and a textured carriageway which helps to reduce traffic speeds.
The initial design process involved the production of a development plan, which followed the adoption of the reserve management plan. This incorporated the playground upgrade, and led to the upgrade of the skate park.
The proposed road upgrade had a significant impact on the reserve which was not foreseen in the reserve management plan or development plans. This necessitated the formation of a key stakeholder group including representatives from the local community board, business association and other local interest groups. Council officers from various disciplines were also involved in the collaborative design programme.
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