Exciting movement for our neighbours. Glen Eden, the neighbours with whom we share a library, an intermediate school, shopping district and transport hub. Glen Eden is the gateway into the foothills and the entrance to the Waitakere area., and their has been interesting work on improving the Glen Eden township. The township is well in need of a makeover and the architectural plans showed transformational changes, including a double sided retail street frontage and attractive paving and town square. Because of the fine grain of shops from an older era, they are well placed for a stylish melbourn-esque style lanes and retail type design, as opposed to suburbs lumbered with mega centre shopping.
T oday those plans get one step closer. This tender ACPN_10268_RFP_V07 (2)went out on GETS (the government tender website) requesting submissions for preparation of a plan to implement the Glen Eden Urban Design Framework. And $90,000 has been allocated to the project. Congratulations Glen Eden – this is good news, and good news for Oratia as it will be enjoyed by our residents and reflect well on the neighbouring suburbs also.
This is an excerpt from the document showing the type of changes;
Glen Eden Urban Design Framework
The Glen Eden Urban Design Framework (the Framework) was adopted by the former Waitakere City Council in March 2010. It provides a ‘Place Making Road Map’ for the delivery of projects that will contribute to transforming Glen Eden town centre into an attractive and economically buoyant destination for residents, businesses and visitors.
The Framework builds on the strengths of the town centre, including:
- its main street and open mall environments;
- its location on the western rail line;
- its historical and cultural assets, which include the Waikumete Cemetery, the train station and the Playhouse theatre;
- its role as gateway to the Waitakere Ranges;
- its multicultural community; and
- its active social and business networks.
The Framework proposes four key transformational moves:
- develop West Coast Road into a double-sided main street with high standards of pedestrian amenity, easy access to the train station, and residential and office development above retail;
- open up a new public lane with retail frontages between West Coast Road and Glenmall Place, opposite Glenview Road;
- upgrade and re-configure Glenmall Place to enable the use of space for events and markets, provide high standards of pedestrian amenity and facilitate residential development above retail; and
- enhance existing cultural and community activities within the western precinct of the town centre by encouraging complementary land uses and activities and improving walking connections across Glendale Road and with neighbouring residential areas.