ENHANCING THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF OUR CENTRAL CITY
The South Frame, one of the lower profile elements of our central city regeneration, is taking shape.
Designed to hem in and enliven the southern side of the CBD, the South Frame is a network of laneways, mainly between St Asaph and Tuam Streets.
The predominant feature of the South Frame is the Greenway, a wide and leafy shared path running east to west that will eventually connect the Health Precinct and Metro Sports Facility with the SALT District, East Frame, and the Multi-Use Arena.
Smaller lanes, perpendicular to the Greenway, improve access and allow for slow-speed vehicle use to service the local businesses.
The first section of the South Frame to be complete, in the SALT District, demonstrates the potential of the laneway network. Lanes draw people from the street into the block and enable attractions like the popular Little High Eatery to be successful without a street frontage.
Crown company Ōtākaro is completing sections of the South Frame as land becomes available. The latest length of the Greenway to open up is on the western side of Durham Street, creating an uninterrupted two-block section from Colombo Street to Montreal Street.
This new area includes a 40-metre mural by Oi YOU! and the DTR Crew which pays homage to the creation and evolution of street art.
The South Frame is now more than 80 per cent complete. It’s likely that the Greenway will become a more popular cycle, pedestrian, and scooter thoroughfare once the remaining sections are finished over the next year.
More people using the network of lanes should also help catalyse development of the adjacent land.
About 15,000 new plants and trees are being added to the central city along the South Frame. The established garden beds and green screens in Mataī Common between Colombo and Durham Streets give a sense of how the completed Greenway will look.
Once the section of the Greenway currently being constructed around Team Hutchinson Ford on the eastern side of Colombo Street is finished, the only remaining length will be the area around Miles Toyota, west of Montreal Street.
In the future, a child could hop off a bus at the Bus Interchange and walk along the Greenway, away from busy streets, to ride the hydro-slides or swim at the Metro Sports Facility.
As the South Frame progresses towards completion, another piece in the city’s complex regeneration puzzle starts to fall into place.