Dynamic public spaces to complement library

Planning and design is now well advanced for the public spaces at the heart of Rolleston’s new town centre.

The Council’s design team expects to lodge resource consents before the end of the year for the first stage of the project, which will include the library, town square and key roading elements.

A central element of the plan is the open public space that will connect the town centre to Te Ara Ātea – the library and community centre.

*Check out the Rolleston Town Centre map on the top right of this page.

The area has been designed so that people can move freely between the indoor environment of Te Ara Ātea and outdoor spaces that encourage community gathering, activities, recreation and reflection.

A main promenade will run between Tennyson Street entrance and the Wordsworth Street extension, offering pedestrians a leisurely walk through landscaped gardens, comfortable seating areas, grassy ‘urban islands’, outdoor kids’ educational zones and even a vege garden.

Te Ara Ātea will open onto a spacious town square which will provide areas for civic and community gatherings, markets, events, performances and informal community interaction.

Among the distinctive features of the town square are a suspended overhead lighting system to create a unique night-time environment, raised gardens with seating, shade sails and water features. There are also spaces for tables and chairs outside the proposed hospitality and retail premises adjacent to the library and community centre.

As well as pedestrian space, the promenade will also accommodate cyclists and limited service access for vehicles. Initially part of the promenade and laneways may be constructed with asphalt, with permanent decorative paving installed once later stages of building construction are completed.