People-centred streetscape for town centre

Plans for the roading network around the new Rolleston town centre reveal a streetscape that is people-centred.

*View the cross sections for the streetscape at the top right corner of this page.

The roads around Te Ara Ātea and the adjacent civic and commercial spaces will be predominantly low-speed, attractively landscaped, cycle and pedestrian-friendly, and with provision for both on and off-street car parking.

Consultation on the original Rolleston town centre master plan, and subsequent Long-Term Plans, confirmed the development of a low-speed thoroughfare along the Wordsworth Street extension, which will run through the commercial and retail areas adjacent to Te Ara Ātea, connecting from Moore Street to Markham Way at Tennyson Street.

Retaining through traffic helps ensure the area remains active and vibrant. The street will be sympathetic with the wider town centre design, including wide berms to accommodate tree planting and greenery, small areas of garden, attractive lighting, seating and street furniture.

Pedestrian pathways will be generous, with attractive paving, and the 6.4 metre road width is designed to accommodate two lanes of traffic. The design will incorporate traffic calming in the form of raised crossings in concrete pavers, which encourage vehicles to reduce speeds at locations where pedestrian cross the road.

Car parking is provided along the road, and there is also right-angle parking opposite the Scouts hall, alongside the reserve.

Tennyson Street, between Moore Street and Rolleston Drive, will undergo a major transformation – becoming Rolleston’s new high street.

It will also be a 30km/hr zone, with attractive landscaping and street furniture, traffic calming features and wide pathways.

Te Ara Ātea, the Rolleston Library and Community Centre, will be the landmark feature on the western side of Tennyson Street, along with the adjacent commercial and retail areas extending towards Rolleston Drive.

This will be complemented by additional commercial development on the on the eastern side, including retail and hospitality premises already under development by private developer Jatinder Developments.

Multiple car parking options will be available in the vicinity of the town centre. On-street car parking will be available on both Wordsworth Street and Tennyson Street. The Council will also develop off-street parking at the Moore Street end of Rolleston Reserve (See plan C1 - 76 spaces), behind the shops on the eastern side of Tennyson Street (C2 - 45 spaces), and on two sites on the southern side of the Wordsworth Street extension (C3 - 137 and C4 - 124 spaces).