Showering, changing and making a pit stop at Milford Reserve is going to get easier with work about to kick off on new toilet and changing room facilities at the park.
Work is expected to start in mid-April on the project, starting with removal of the existing building and replacing it with a more modern facility that was designed in response to community feedback several years ago.
“The old, traditional brick building has served users very well for a long time, but has reached the end of its life and was scheduled to be renewed,” says Devonport-Takapuna Local Board chair Aidan Bennett.
“In 2018 we sought feedback from the community on what they would like to see here so I am sure everyone is excited to see it get underway.”
Built on the same site, the position of the new building will be slightly changed to interact better with the playground. The new facility will have:
- Eight toilets, which includes two unisex accessible toilets
- Two showers inside the building
- A double external shower – a feature added to the design in response to community feedback
- Two changing rooms
- A drinking station, where people can drink from or refill their own drink bottles – also added following community feedback
- A new seating area
The colours and exterior design of the building also responds to community feedback which saw more than half of respondents call for the structure to have a ‘beach- themed’ exterior.
Mr Bennett says Milford Reserve, the beach and other facilities in the area continue to grow in popularity as the population also increases and he is sure they will be a welcome addition.
He says it was hoped to have started the project earlier than now, but the community feedback resulted in the concept requiring some changes and then COVID-19 delayed things further.
The works are expected to start mid-April 2021 and take around three months to complete – weather permitting.
During construction the areas will be fenced off and four portoloos will be installed in the reserve for public use.
Project Background
Project: | Milford Reserve Changing Room and Toilet block renewal |
Start: | Mid-April 2021 |
Finish | August 2021 - weather permitting |
Project cost: | $1.2M. This is the cost of the entire project and includes consultant and design costs, removal of the current structure and construction of the new facility. |
The local board held a community consultation in 2018 and approved the revised concept in July 2019.