Activity Group: Community Facilities Major upgrades to the playgrounds at Pollard Park and Picton Foreshore are planned, Sports Parks and Community Facilities as is a refresh of the entrance to Pollard Park. All of these upgrades are in response to Throughout Marlborough the Council provides and maintains sports parks for year- increased use of these premier gardens. round use by residents and visitors, providing opportunities for the community to take Civic spaces part in team or individual sporting pursuits of a formal or informal nature. A wide range of sporting codes are catered for, while some parks also have a range of facilities Marlborough’s civic spaces include Market Place, Liz Davidson Place, Bythell Place, serving a local neighbourhood and community function, creating multi-function parks. the Stadium Pocket Park. The Quays in Blenheim and London Quay in Picton. Bythell Place has undergone an upgrade and The Quays has recently been opened and will As a result of the Council’s Outdoor Sports Facility Plan, design works for a ‘sportshub’ require a maintenance budget. facility for all codes using Lansdowne Park is underway and is to be completed later in 2018. Construction is scheduled to occur from 2018–20. The Council also maintains and manages approximately 6500 street trees, street gardens and road berms throughout the district. There is a planting plan to establish Several of the Council’s facilities have been affected by ongoing earthquake activity 100 new trees per year for the first two years of the Long Term Plan, increasing in and the subsequent requirements to strengthen buildings. The Council has decided not number in subsequent years. There are also increased maintenance requirements to to strengthen the existing grandstand at A & P Park. Instead, a new pavilion and manage these trees to ensure the safety of life and property, and to avoid conflicts with grandstand at the park have been budgeted for in the 2019–20 financial year. infrastructure. This Activity also includes monitoring of overhanging growth from private Earthquake repairs to the grandstand at Athletic Park have been completed. The property encroaching on public footpaths. Awatere Community Hall redevelopment is in the design phase, with budget allocated for this from 2017–19. Council has also agreed to an acceleration of the provision of a Natural parks youth centre from 2023/24 at a saving of approximately $1.8 million from the Marlborough’s natural parks provide opportunities for people to experience nature. $2.2 million originally budgeted. Development in these areas is generally limited to low impact activities. There are eight reserves within this category, ranging from coastal reserves where camping is Public Conveniences permitted (eg Ohingaroa and Double Bay) to the Koromiko Forest Reserve, which is primarily managed for its ecological significance but where public access is also The Council provides and maintains public conveniences throughout Marlborough to provided. meet community and visitor needs. Currently there are 70 facilities located throughout the district, including in: Outdoor adventure parks and other paths and accessways the central business district and smaller town centres The Wither Hills Farm Park, as the backdrop to Blenheim, and Victoria Domain in • Picton are regarded as Marlborough’s outdoor adventure parks. Both provide • urban areas subject to high use by the community extensive walking, running and biking opportunities. Soil conservation is also an rural or remote areas servicing reserves and walking tracks. important function of the Wither Hills Farm Park, and the park is operated as a working • farm. New toilets were constructed in Picton in the last financial year in response to increased visitor numbers. Upgrades are planned for many of the other toilets in the Increasing numbers of people are using the walking and cycling tracks, with new tracks district over the first four years of the Long Term Plan to respond to increased visitor in both of these parks being created and existing ones upgraded. Reserve numbers. This includes new toilets at Rai Valley and at Torea Bay in Queen Charlotte management plans for each park are being reviewed in the first two years of the Long Sound. Term Plan, with the opportunity for widespread community involvement in this process. The Council has allocated funding for the Link Pathway project between Picton and Cemeteries and Memorials Havelock, and many sections of this track have now been completed. The Council also Cemeteries support our sense of community and are places of contemplation, and of maintains pathways and accessways around urban areas to enable easy access respect for our history and the stories of our people. They provide a place where family between areas of town, and for recreational purposes. A high level of access is and friends can care for and mourn the loss of loved ones in a way that is consistent available alongside the Taylor River in Blenheim. with their culture and beliefs. Cemeteries also contribute to the open space network by providing areas of open space and amenity. 2018-2028 Long Term Plan Page 58