The Ō Hub joins ROPO to seek community views of CBD Masterplan

Published on 23 July 2024

The former Trade Aid shop at 169 Thames St is the latest addition to the Revitalise our Place Ōamaru (ROPO) programme being run by Waitaki District Council. The Ō Hub will be a space where the community can share their thoughts on developing Ōamaru’s CBD.

The Ōamaru CBD Masterplan will set the direction for growth over the next 30 years. It will recommend key projects to improve the CBD including; development of new spaces and activities for our community and visitors to enjoy and better connectivity between Thames St, the Heritage Precinct and the Harbour area. 

Mel Jones, Business Attraction and Recovery Manager says: ”Currently there are many plans impacting the town centre which have been developed in isolation and over different time periods. However, there is no overarching development plan that recommends how to best connect the Ōamaru CBD and harbour area and create more vibrant public spaces”.

Having held two CBD Revitalisation Workshops in December 2023 and March, a third was held in June with Councillors, local businesses and community members to explore opportunities and projects to develop the CBD. A number of ideas were presented, some which could be delivered quickly and others which will take longer to plan and fund and may be implemented with partners. 

Kelvin Cunningham, part of one of the project teams, says: “Its good to be part of a community led project that is looking at how we can get the best from our CBD”

However, now it’s your turn and the Ō Hub will be there to listen to the community's views on the proposed opportunities to rejuvenate our CBD and potential redevelopment projects.

The space will be open for the next 2 weeks from Thursday 25 July to Friday August 9 10.30am to 3pm weekdays and from 11am to 1pm on Saturdays. Information will also be available on the Let's Talk Waitaki page from Thursday 25 July for those residents unable to visit the Ō Hub.

ENDS