Better connections and better lifestyle for Hutt City

As flood protection designs continue to develop, it’s time to focus further on the opportunity to develop the connection between the city and the river.

The vision for better connections is set out in Hutt City Council’s Making Places project, which sets out how the Lower Hutt community would like the central business district to develop by 2030. One part of this vision is a riverside promenade, and we’ve heard very clearly from our community that while our river is one of our greatest assets we are not making the most of it.

The RiverLink project offers the opportunity to progress this work. A riverside promenade is proposed on the eastern side of the river that would sit on the top of the stop banks currently being designed, and have terraced access to the river. Some of the suggestions for the design are buildings that are level with the promenade to provide an entertainment area, and mixed use development such as apartments.

A pedestrian footbridge over the river to connect with Melling Train Station, and access points to the river for recreational activities are also suggested. The potential impact of the project on the local road network is also being considered. Private investment alongside public investment is really important for this promenade to be developed to its full potential.

This RiverLink project is also considering how people use the river corridor: the space alongside the river inside the flood protection stopbanks, and ways this could be enhanced in this stretch of the river.

There’s a lot of discussion to be had,

and decisions to make together.