A city fit for the future
The busy inner-city suburbs of Berhampore and Newtown are growing and in future will have a lot more people living here in townhouses and apartments. If we don’t support this growth with better transport options, these suburbs will grind to a halt.
Parking in this area is under pressure. To manage on-street parking more fairly, we’re proposing Newtown and Berhampore will be the first suburbs in the city to have a new-style parking scheme.
We are also planning changes on some streets to provide safer and easier climate-friendly options for walking, biking, scooting, or taking the bus.
What this project involves
We are planning changes for Berhampore and Newtown. The areas we’re focused on are:
- introducing a new parking and permitting scheme
- installing improvements for people walking, biking, and taking the bus, and completing the 6.3km safe biking route between the south coast and central city.
We're now seeking your feedback
The new parking scheme is in line with our Parking Policy and is based on similar schemes that work well in other cities.
For the pedestrian, bike, and bus improvements, we’ve worked with technical experts and talked with key stakeholders, including residents associations, schools, and businesses in this area. There have also been meetings with stakeholders, including hospital representatives and residents associations, in the lead-up to the consultation on the parking scheme.
Now it's your turn to share your feedback. Start by having a look at the proposed changes, and then use the feedback form. This will help us understand how these changes will affect you and the wider community.
Consultation on these proposed changes is open from Tuesday 12 September until 5pm, Sunday 8 October.
We’ll then take your feedback and the proposed changes to Councillors for approval in December 2023. If approved by the Council, work to install these changes would likely begin in early 2024.
View the details of each part of the project below.
View the proposed parking scheme
We’re proposing changes for people who park on the street in Newtown and Berhampore. The new parking scheme for managing parking in this area would change where people can park and for how long.
View the details and have your say.
View the proposed walking, biking, and bus improvements
We’re proposing changes to give residents and visitors better options for walking, biking, and taking the bus between Island Bay, Berhampore, Newtown and the city.
View the details and have your say.
Already know what you want to say?
Prefer paper?
Download the parking scheme form (4.5MB pdf)
Download the bus, bike and walking changes form (2.7MB pdf)
Got questions? You can contact the project team at newtownberhampore@wcc.govt.nz
Ngā toronga mai
Drop-in sessions
Drop by and talk with us:
- Saturday 16 September, 9am-12 noon – Wakefield Park, Adelaide Road
- Monday 18 September, 4.30pm-6.30pm – Daniell Street Community Hall, corner of Constable and Daniell streets
- Tuesday 19 September, 7am-9am - on the corner of Rintoul and Riddiford streets
- Saturday 23 September, 9am-12pm – Newtown market, Newtown School, Mein Street
- Tuesday 26 September, 10am-2pm – Newtown Community Centre, corner of Rintoul and Colombo streets
- Thursday 28 September, 4pm-6pm – Centennial Community Centre Berhampore, 493 Adelaide Road.
Berhampore shopping area
We’ve worked with the Berhampore community to come up with ways to enhance Berhampore shopping area. The changes are supported by local businesses and will make the area more appealing and accessible. Work is already underway and should be completed before the end of 2023.
The Berhampore to Newtown connection brings together our project partners to develop the street changes that will improve things for people walking, biking, or taking the bus:
- Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency, which is funding the project through their Streets for People programme
- Greater Wellington Regional Council (including Metlink)
- Let’s Get Wellington Moving.
Changes planned in Berhampore and Newtown have been designed to complement further upgrades planned by Let’s Get Wellington Moving.
Wellington is expected to grow over the next 30 years, which will dramatically affect the way our city look, feels, and operates. If we continue at our current rate of car use, our transport network will grind to a halt.
Our goal is to be a city where people of all ages and abilities can move easily and freely, and people have the option to walk, bike, scoot or use public transport. These essential street changes will make it easier for more of us to be less reliant on our cars.
We’re proposing to make it safer and easier for people to move around in climate-friendly ways. The transport changes we’re developing will take time to get used to, but we need to adapt to make sure we can get to our destinations.
Paneke Pōneke is our plan for a citywide bike network that will be installed alongside improvements for people walking, scooting, and taking the bus. Bus stop changes on these routes are part of delivering the Bus Priority Action Plan.
Planned new crossings will be installed using permanent materials, but new bike lanes will be created using adaptable materials. This approach allows interim biking and scooting improvements to be installed quickly, so people can start using the routes faster, and then give feedback so the route can be refined further for future permanent improvements.
This new approach and the bike network plan, Paneke Pōneke, went out for consultation in November 2021, and was approved by Councillors on 10 March 2022.
Island Bay to Newtown connection
Having a safe biking connection into the central city from the south coast via Island Bay, Berhampore and Newtown was proposed back in 2013/14 when changes were first planned and made in Island Bay. The Island Bay section was the first of four sections proposed to complete the connection from the south. Three of the fours sections are now in place. The improvements planned to the route between north Island Bay and Newtown will complete the route.
Planning and discussion about the two sections through Berhampore and Newtown began almost 10 years. A citizens’ advisory panel, and others, began assessing potential cycling facilities in Berhampore and Newtown. In 2017, the Our Town Newtown project also sought feedback on the future of Newtown.
In late 2018, we sought feedback on three options - different packages of routes and street changes. Four public drop-in sessions were held, and we also met with a range of groups and organisations.
We heard from more than 770 people during the first phase of community discussion (5 June–17 July 2018) on the Newtown connections project. Of those, 85% thought it was important or very important to make it easier and safer for more people to ride bikes in and around the wider Newtown area. This information was used to develop a community brief which includes a set of community objectives that were used to help guide the development of the three proposed packages of routes and street changes that we sought feedback on in late 2018 (13 November–11 December). More than 1000 people gave feedback on these three packages.
Further engagement was put on hold until the Parking Policy had been consulted on (August 2020) and mass rapid transit routes were confirmed by Let’s Get Wellington Moving.
As part of the Long-term Plan 2021-2031, Councillors voted to invest $226m in a safe, connected citywide bike network. They requested a new bike network plan (Paneke Pōneke) to get changes made more quickly.
In September 2021, Councillors gave the go-ahead for interim improvements on the Newtown to the city route via Adelaide Road and Kent/Cambridge terraces, in advance of permanent future upgrades as part of Let’s Get Wellington Moving’s plans.
Let’s Get Wellington Moving has confirmed future mass rapid transit will include Island Bay, Berhampore, and Newtown.
Proposed new Berhampore Newtown parking scheme
For years, people and groups in the Newtown area have been asking for action to better manage parking and help relieve parking pressures.
In response to this, and to ensure this part of the city is fit for the future, a proposed scheme has been developed in line with the Council’s 2020 Parking Policy. This has been planned with the help of data and information about where people park in Berhampore and Newtown and for how long. Parking surveys were carried out in August 2022 and collected for a typical weekday, weekend and overnight period.
The 2022 surveys, commissioned by the Council for this purpose, were done by Abley and supplemented similar surveys by WSP in 2019.
Information provided by the community in 2022 to help with the design of bike, bus and pedestrian improvements on the route between Newtown and the north end of Island Bay also provided insights about the parking situation in the area.
The information provided and concerns about parking raised in 2022 were consistent with feedback received from the community over the years through other discussions and engagement processes.
More detailed information is available in the Berhampore and Newtown parking management plan
Wellington is expected to grow over the next 30 years, which will dramatically affect the way our city looks, feels, and operates. If we continue at our current rate of car use, our transport network will grind to a halt.
Our goal is to be a city where people of all ages and abilities can move easily and freely in climate-friendly ways. These essential street changes will make it easier for more of us to be less reliant on our cars.
We’re changing our streets to make it safer and easier for people to walk, ride, scoot, or use public transport. The changes we’re developing will take time to get used to, but we need to adapt to make sure we can still get around.
In line with Council strategies, policies, and plans, we have developed Paneke Pōneke, a citywide bike network plan. Changes as part of Paneke Pōneke will happen alongside improvements for people walking, scooting, and taking the bus.
Making it safe and easy to bike, walk, and use public transport for everyday trips is key to rapidly cutting emissions in Wellington. It’s vital that we create a connected network, particularly for beginners and less confident riders, as well as people who are experienced riders, so that more of us can get around more often in low carbon ways.
The following strategies, policies, plans and research provide the context for the development of a safe, connected and high-quality bike network alongside other sustainable transport improvements.
Sustainable transport hierarchy
Our sustainable hierarchy was first adopted in the Urban Growth Plan 2015 (now superseded by the Spatial Plan). The hierarchy prioritises movement by walking, biking, and public transport, so that our city’s streets work better for people.
Paneke Pōneke Bike Network Plan 2022
The bike network will connect suburbs to the city centre and destinations, helping to get people of various ages and abilities from where they live to where they work, study, shop, and play. Paneke Pōneke, Wellington’s bike network plan, was adopted in March 2022.
We consulted on the bike network plan between 2 November – 14 December 2021 as part of the Our City Tomorrow engagement. This engagement also included the draft District Plan and options for mass rapid transit routes through Let’s Get Wellington Moving.
Long-term Plan 2021-2031
The Long-term Plan updated the city outcomes and priority objectives. It also provided $226 million over 10 years to develop a bike network. This is supported by investments in Let's Get Wellington Moving, which will provide for safe biking in the city centre and key corridors connecting to the city centre.
Spatial Plan 2021
The Spatial Plan 2021 provides a blueprint for more housing to accommodate a growing population over the next 30 years. This includes supporting tens of thousands more people to live in the inner-city suburbs and within walking distance of the city centre and rapid transport stops.
A well-connected walking and biking network is key to accommodating more people in the city without adding to car congestion or putting pressure on our bus services.
Greater Wellington Regional Council, Wellington Regional Land Transport Plan 2021
This plan sets out the strategic direction for transport investment across the Greater Wellington region, including targets to reduce transport emissions and increase the proportion of people walking, biking, and using public transport.
Wellington Regional Land Transport Plan 2021
Parking Policy 2020
The Parking Policy provides a framework to guide future decision-making on the management of all Council-controlled parking spaces, and how parking supports achieving the vision for Wellington. The Parking Policy refers to the sustainable transport hierarchy, which gives highest priority to active modes of transport, such as walking, biking, and public transport. This means that when we make decisions on using road space, these active modes take a higher priority to parking.
Te Atakura First to Zero Blueprint and Implementation Plan 2019
We aim to become a net zero carbon city by 2050. Road transport emissions represent 34% of our city’s emissions – making them the single biggest source. Electric vehicles alone can’t solve this problem, given their relative expense. Making it safe and easy to bike, walk, and use public transport for everyday trips is key to rapidly cutting emissions in Wellington.
Te Atakura - First to Zero Blueprint and Implementation Plan 2019
Previous cycling strategic documents
- Wellington Cycle Network Strategic Case 2015: This outlines the challenges related to cycling and how achieving the objectives will benefit Wellingtonians.
- Cycling Framework 2015: This set out a decision-making process for the bike network and how it would be developed. It should be noted that design guidelines for what makes a safe bike lane are continually being developed and we expect to take account of current guidance as we plan improvements.
- Cycling Demand Analysis 2014: This research investigated how different types of cycling infrastructure is likely to affect the numbers of people choosing to cycle in Wellington and assessed the demand for improvements.