Deconstruction work at 254 Ponsonby Road, was completed in July and we are currently awaiting the completion of the construction contract negotiations. By the time of publication, we are hopeful this process will have been finalised and the construction work on-site will be imminent. However, receipt of the building consent and lead-in times will determine when this can occur, but it is anticipated to be in early August.
Bravo!
Value engineering – ie cost – has led to some modifications to the design. What were originally to be raised planter beds with timber seating bleachers in the Western aspect of the space have now been removed. These garden beds will now be at ground level with a steel up-stand surround.
This is where a Community Garden*, as proposed through the Community-Led Design Group (CLDG), could be sited and happily, these changes will not impact this desired community outcome. Tamariki from one of three local schools are interested in helping to establish and tend a Community Garden in this space. They have already collaborated in workshops with artist Ross Liew and helped to design the hoarding mural. Captured within the design are pollinator insects and vegetables. Enabling these tamariki to help plan the garden and make it a reality will be a great way to both enliven and activate this space while making a meaningful and ongoing contribution to developing skills in the next generation.
The CLDG Community Garden proposal is for the Sanctuary Mahi Whenua Community Garden to umbrella the project, in partnership with Places for Good. The Sanctuary Mahi Whenua is a self-funding organic garden, operating successfully for over 25 years. It is now looking to satellite out to create a wider, more accessible, and available network of community gardens as part of its succession planning. With its history, experience, and commitment, the garden at 254 Ponsonby Road would be in safe hands.
The “value engineering” also requires the planting specifications to be reviewed, so it is helpful that the plants and labor required for the Community Garden beds will be provided for free by the participants (Sanctuary Mahi Whenua Community Garden, people from within our community, and local tamariki). Already the desires of the community are aligning with the requirements for the delivery of the site.
Lovely!
Auckland Council Parks & Community Facilities staff commented in an earlier meeting that it would be extraordinary to have a Community Garden in a civic space and this is correct – because the new civic space at 254 Ponsonby Road has always been extraordinary!
Extraordinary in;
– the sustained commitment it has generated
– the community interest it has always had and continues to enjoy
– the fact that it has survived all the upheavals of Covid and the resultant budgetary impacts
– that there are three schools already involved in their planning for activating the new space
Extraordinary is what the new civic space at 254 Ponsonby Road has always been, continues to be, and IS all about.
Bring it on!
For more information or to contact the CLDG see our Facebook pages; Ponsonby Park, or 254 Ponsonby Road.
* See the full CLDG Community Garden presentation at 254Ponsonbyrd.org.nz
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