Tararua District Council recently completed the Tararua Growth Strategy; this looked at the projected growth within our region and identified key focus areas for the future. Recommendations were developed for the towns of Dannevirke, Eketāhuna, Norsewood, Pahiatua, and Woodville.

One of the key outcomes from the Growth Strategy identifies the desire to deliver on our aspirational growth, requiring investment in our town centres, principally in terms of amenity and urban design. To achieve this, we are now in the initial phase of preparing an Urban Design Strategy.

The Urban Design Strategy will be a comprehensive plan that iden­tifies investment opportunities and priorities for the public spaces of our town centres. The strategy will explore medium to long term visions for the future of our town centres, using strategic plans and guidelines focused on provision of public amenities, the creation of designed public spaces, and beautification.

We will initially be connecting with local community boards and committees on the strategy, and developing community engage­ment that is tailored for each town centre and community. We would like to hear what you think is important in our town centres, and what you would like to see prioritised and considered for your town.

We will be starting community engagement in November so keep an eye out for drop in sessions and workshop dates in your town over the coming weeks.