Third stage of town basin revamp

Published on 08 February 2023

Work has begun on the third stage of the Town Basin’s bus and visitor facility upgrades. To minimise disruption this work is scheduled after the school holidays.

With the Tourism Infrastructure Fund providing $1.6m towards this project, it is designed to provide a much better Town Basin visitor experience for increasing numbers of people, says Council’s Manager of Infrastructure Programmes Shelley Wharton.

“With the Hundertwasser Arts Centre open and attracting visitors, Pūtahi Park providing a real magnet for families and with eateries and retail in the area starting to recover after COVID-19, the place has been humming over summer. We will also be ready to manage an influx of visitors from cruise ships booked for next summer.”

Town Basin upgrade project

In Stage One we installed paving around the new 'About Time' ball-clock installation. The kinetic artwork is a popular attraction and the new paving allows for easier access. 

Stage Two of the revamp was to redesign the area between the Ball Clock, Clapham’s Clock Museum and the children’s playground and install a new toilet block. New landscaping, paving and planting now connect the spaces and create better sight lines and safer connections between the waterfront and car parks.

Stage Three (7 February onwards) will see part of the one-way bus lane installed to take buses from Dent Street, behind Clapham’s Clocks, past the playground, and out onto Finlayson Street. Reyburn House Lane will be closed for three weeks while car parks and kerbs are realigned at the southern end.

“When this is complete we will turn our attention to the final stage covering the northern end, car park and pedestrian connections,” said Mrs Wharton. We will let everyone know closer to the time what the changes will be.