Northcroft Street upgrade
Consultation has concluded
Northcroft Street Concept DesignFull plan available in the Northcroft Street Concept Report (under Documents).
We are upgrading Northcroft Street to create an attractive, safe, people-focused environment.
With more people set to move into the neighbourhood, we want to:
- improve the street environment
- create a vibrant place where people want to live, work and visit.
Why we're making the changes
Currently Northcroft Street:
- is heavily dominated by cars
- has no safe crossing points
- has little character.
The upgrade is part of the wider regeneration plan for a thriving Takapuna town centre. It will be a celebration of Takapuna’s unique character, much like the completed Hurstmere Road transformation.
An increase in foot traffic
Foot traffic on this street will increase due to development in the area, including:
- Takapuna Central apartments
- a future mixed-use development on the corner of Northcroft and Auburn streets
- other private residential developments.
With more people using this street, the upgrade will:
- support better walking and cycling connections
- provide space for vehicles and car parking.
About the upgrade design
The upgrade is designed to:
- enhance the vitality of the street
- create a more welcoming space for people visiting local shops
- increase safety for pedestrians and people on bikes
- create a more attractive streetscape with native planting, street furniture and better lighting
- provide a safe and pleasant route for people travelling between Toka Puia car park, the town centre and future developments.
The street could be reinvigorated with:
- attractive street furniture
- tree planting
- safe crossing points.
The road corridor will be narrowed to:
- reduce the dominance of cars
- encourage slower vehicle speeds.
Street planting will:
- bring life to the street
- filter stormwater runoff to improve water quality
The proposed upgrade will be robust and high-quality with the required infrastructure for future growth.
It proposes similar street furniture and planting used in the recent upgrade of Hurstmere Road.
How we'll manage street parking
Street parking, while reduced in some places to accommodate safe crossing points and planting, will be managed in a way that provides convenient short-stay parking for people to pop into businesses.
The purpose-built Toka Puia car park building provides 420 off-street car parks for those who wish to stay a little longer.
The number of mobility parks on the street will not be affected.
How we'll manage pedestrian access
The design proposes two raised speed table pedestrian crossings, with one outside the Sentinel apartments and the other mid-way along the street.
These help to ensure cars move at appropriate slow car speeds and provide safe crossing points.
This measure ties in with the work Auckland Transport is doing to make the wider area safer and more convenient as part of their Safe Speeds Programme.
A future upgrade for Huron Street
Auckland Council is also looking to improve stormwater management across Takapuna.
This could affect the designs to upgrade Huron Street significantly but does not notably affect the designs to upgrade Northcroft Street.
As a result, we are progressing with the design and construction of Northcroft Street first.
This staged delivery plan also helps to reduce construction disruption for residents, visitors and businesses.
A proposal to upgrade Huron Street will be shared with the community at a later date.
What happens next
Along with this survey, we will be conducting further discussions with the local community.
We will use the feedback to develop a final concept design.
Following approval of the concept design by the Devonport-Takapuna Local Board and Auckland Transport, the project will move into the detailed design phase.
The detailed design includes:
- materials
- textures
- construction details.
May 2023
An upgrade to Northcroft Street is due to go ahead from July 2023 – see here for more information. The proposed design takes account of public feedback provided as part of the Takapuna Streets for People consultation in 2021 and the Northcroft Street public consultation at the end of 2022.
The proposed upgrade to Huron Street has been delayed to align with Auckland Council’s Healthy Waters stormwater project on this street, to better manage overland rainwater flow.
