Ranui Town Centre

Introduction	Ranui Train Station
Town Centre Vision	Ranui Action Project
Ranui Urban Concept Plan	Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood
Ranui Library	Town Centre Artworks
Ranui Community House	Project Twin Streams
Ranui Domain	Other Relevant Information

Introduction

The early part of Ranui's history was linked with Swanson for both Māori and European settlers. It was originally part of the portage area through which local iwi, Te Kawerau a Maki and Ngati Whatua, travelled. Ranui is a Māori word meaning "big sun" and it is thought that the area was named either by a local orchardist or as a result of a newspaper competition.

In the late 19th century, Ranui began to be settled by gum diggers, farmers and orchardists. By the 1940s it had become a well established rural area and over the next 40 years the construction of a large number of low density houses attracted many people who have since settled in the area.

Today Ranui has a diverse demographic and ethnic structure, and its population is one of the fastest growing in Waitakere, increasing by 15% between 2001 and 2006. Ranui also has one of the City's youngest populations which is reflected in the large number of preschools, primary schools and community youth programmes.

The draft Waitakere Growth Management Strategy identifies Ranui as a local centre that can accommodate additional residential and business growth over the next decade. This growth needs to be carefully managed and planned for, to ensure that it meets the needs not only of the region in terms of accommodating projected population growth, but of the local residents and a changing population.

Town Centre Vision

The vision for the future of Ranui began with public discussion in late 1999.

The community asked for:

a community 'heart' at the upgraded Community Centre and Library
an enhanced railway station
a safer Ranui Domain
slower traffic through Ranui town centre
more community art

Over the next few years Council responded to the community with a number of revitalisation projects.
These included:

a new library and community centre, constructed in 2001
artworks with a strong environmental theme that have created a community focal point
upgrades to street furniture, paving treatment and road surfaces
Ranui entrance/exit signs
new streetlights and the undergrounding of power lines on Swanson Road
the maintenance and planting of green networks
upgrading of the Ranui Train Station

Ranui Urban Concept Plan

Ranui, with its projected growth, existing local shops and services and public transport infrastructure, has the potential to expand into a more significant local centre.
To help Ranui fulfil that potential, the Ranui Urban Concept Plan has been developed to guide and support sustainable future development and growth opportunities and the improvement of local amenities.

What is the Ranui Urban Concept Plan?

The Ranui Urban Concept Plan is a framework that will guide the future land use development of Ranui, which has been developed collaboratively with the Ranui community. It is a non-statutory document that will be implemented using a combination of methods. These involve the council working with developers to achieve the vision and objectives that have been developed with the community, making District Plan changes and undertaking capital works projects.

Why do we need a Concept Plan?

Ranui is growing and has been identified as an appropriate place for intensification in the draft Waitakere Growth Management Strategy. The Ranui Urban Concept Plan is a response to the need for an integrated, long term programme for the investment of resources and planning, particularly in recognition of the needs of the community.

How was the Ranui Urban Concept Plan Developed?

The Ranui Urban Concept Plan has been developed through a collaborative process involving local residents, key landowners, stakeholders and Council officers, with the process undertaken outlined below:

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Ranui Flow Chart of collaborative process

Ranui Concept Plan collaborative process flowchart

The final Ranui Urban Concept Plan was adopted by the council on 2 October 2008. The resolutions can be viewed at www.waitakere.govt.nz/AbtCnl/ct/policystrategy.asp

The Vision

Building upon the community consultation undertaken, the objectives of the Ranui Urban Concept Plan are to:

Create a sense of place unique to Ranui
Place a priority on the safety of pedestrians
Create a central gathering place
Encourage greater use of and improved safety in Ranui Domain
Provide for housing choice
Provide for a range of businesses and shops to allow the community to meet their needs locally
Ensure that the character, culture, sustainability focus and diversity of Ranui is maintained

Ranui Urban Concept Plan

The Ranui Urban Concept Plan proposes to create a mixed-use, two-sided local centre on Swanson Road to provide for a range of business opportunities and services for the local community. The concept also seeks to address community concerns regarding the safety of Swanson Road for pedestrians and the connection between the town centre and the Ranui Train Station. The community expressed a desire for a central gathering area and better connections to the Ranui Domain, with the Ranui Urban Concept Plan identifying a preferred town square option. The concept also considers how residential growth can be accommodated with more intensive housing options within an 800 metre walking distance of the town centre and train station. An overview of the greater town centre plan is shown below.

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Greater town centre plan

The adopted Ranui Urban Concept Plan can be downloaded in full below or can be viewed at the Ranui Library or at the council's Customer Services One-Stop-Shop at Waitakere Central (6 Henderson Valley Road, Henderson).

Note: You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to view and print these documents. For help opening PDF files or tips on copying information see Helpful Tips.

Ranui Urban Concept Plan - Part One (Size 5680K)

Ranui Urban Concept Plan - Part Two (Size 8173K)

Appendices (Size 935K)

The key elements of the RUCP are summarised below.

Road improvements

Incorporate pedestrian and traffic improvements to slow traffic, give pedestrians priority of movement through the centre with a signalised intersection, improve parking safety, enhance the streetscape and strengthen the integral link between the centre and Ranui train station.

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Swanson Road		Ranui Station Road

Main street shops

Transform Swanson Road into a 'main street' with extended services so that both the northern and southern sides of the road develop with active uses, such as retail at the ground level and commercial or residential activities above, creating both local shopping and employment opportunities.

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Northern Swanson Rd		Southern Swanson Rd

Town 'heart'

The community expressed a strong desire for a central public open space. A number of options were explored, with the council's preferred option being to locate a town square on the existing library and community house car park. This space is centrally located, with a strong connection to civic uses, is large enough to cater for a range of events and has good solar access.

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Ranui Town Centre

Ranui Domain

The safety and surveillance of Ranui Domain is proposed to be enhanced by the creation of public lanes around the eastern and northern edges of the park, connecting to Robertson Road and Swanson Road. This would greatly enhance connectivity, encourage activity through and around Ranui Domain and allow residential development to front onto Ranui Domain.

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Ranui Domain

Residential intensification

Medium density housing is already provided for within a 500 metre radius of the former location of the Ranui train station, in accordance with the medium density housing provisions of the Waitakere District Plan. A more appropriate method for identifying where more intensive forms of housing should be located, is an 800 metre or 10 minute walking distance. This is considered to be appropriate for Ranui given its flat topography and proximity to the train station and town centre amenities and services. This 800 metre pedestrian catchment has been calculated from the Ranui train station and the local shops on Swanson Road.

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Concept Plan - Residential Intensification

Next steps

The implementation of the Ranui Urban Concept Plan will occur through a combination of advocacy and statutory methods as well as capital works projects, such as roading improvements. Any capital works projects will need to be allocated within the Long Term Council Community Plan (LTCCP) 2009-2019, which the council will develop in late 2008 and start consultation with the community on in early 2009.

The successful implementation of the Ranui Urban Concept Plan will require the commitment of not only the council but local businesses, community groups and key property owners.

Any district plan changes recommended by the Ranui Urban Concept Plan will be developed over the coming years and will require full public notification under the provisions of the Resource Management Act 1991, with the public and any interested parties able to make a submission.

Ranui Library

Ranui Public Library Building

The existing Ranui public library and learning centre currently operates from approximately 200m2 of floor space, in a building it shares with the Ranui Community House on Ranui Station Road. It is the smallest of the Waitakere Libraries branches and it was always envisaged that the library would be enlarged at a later date.

For a number of years, Council staff have been exploring options to address space requirements and in February 2008 the Council decided to acquire land for a new larger library. The draft Ranui Urban Concept Plan shows the Council's preferred location for the new Ranui Library with 500m2 of floor space. The Council is currently in discussion with the landowners of this preferred site, to acquire the land as a public work. The co-located community house in the existing library building also needs to expand and has similar issues, with small rooms, difficult access and poor connection and flow between spaces. Overall, the building is not fit for these uses and Ranui's community services are constrained as a result.

The new larger library will allow for improved services to the community, especially for its children and youth, and the existing community house will be able to expand into the space vacated by the existing library and offer more activities. It is likely that the new library will be open by early 2010. However, this is dependent on when the land is acquired and when resource consent approval is given.

Ranui Community House

The Ranui Community House is a neighbourhood resource centre that provides for social, educational and cultural activities for the people of Ranui and the surrounding area. The centre is used to host a broad range of groups, meetings and day and evening adult education classes.

The community house is currently at capacity and intends to expand into the library building once the library has been relocated.

For more information on the Ranui Community Centre check here

Ranui Domain

Ranui Domain covers 6.3 hectares and provides two sports fields, training areas, clubrooms, a carpark, children's playground, toilet and changing room facilities and walking paths.

Ranui Domain is managed within the framework of the Massey Ward Local Reserves Management Plan. It is a significant community asset that the Council has identified the need for improvements. The draft Ranui Urban Concept Plan also recognises the importance of this community asset and makes recommendations to improve its connection to the town centre and increase surveillance and safety so as to encourage greater community use.


Sports fields, childrens playground and the local stream at Ranui Domain

Ranui Train Station

Ranui was the first area in Waitakere City to benefit from a new railway station, built as part of the Auckland Regional Transport Network Limited's (ARTNL) station upgrading programme. The new station was officially opened in 2004 and the recent Western Line double-tracking provides a 15-minute peak train frequency between Swanson and Britomart. This has significantly improved peak period accessibility in Ranui and as a result patronage exceeds that expected for a local station.

The Council has invested in the creation of a station plaza, which includes landscaping, benches, public toilets and a drinking fountain, to enhance the amenity and functionality of the station. A new at-grade pedestrian crossing with electronic gates has recently been installed to improve safety and reduce trespassing incidents.


New Ranui Train Station

For further information see the OnTrack website.

Ranui Action Project

Established in 2001, the Ranui Action Project (RAP) was tasked with improving health and wellbeing outcomes for the Ranui community. The initial RAP funding received from the Stronger Communities Action Fund (SCAF) of the Child, Youth and Family Services initiated about 60 community-driven projects. About six years later, this funding ceased when SCAF was transferred to the Ministry of Social Development.

The growth of the organisation has seen the implementation of a new structure at governance and management levels and the development of both strategic and Treaty of Waitangi responsiveness plans. A consolidation of those earlier projects which had gained momentum, including the Ranui Market, Radio Ranui, Ranui Community Garden and youth development, is presenting RAP with a focus on its sustainability. Through RAP's partnerships, new projects have also emerged, such as Housing Advocacy and Support, Sustainable Ranui and Project Twin Streams Ranui-Massey.

Projects that involve celebrating Ranui is a role that RAP supports by holding events like the Ranui Whanau Fun Day annual festival, providing the Ranui Achievers Profile awards and distributing a regular 'RAP RAVE' newsletter highlighting positive people and activities in Ranui. The project is co-managed by Emma Frost and Verle Cahill, who are based at the RAP house at 476 Swanson Road, Ranui.

For more information contact (09) 832 6048, or check out their website www.ranui.org.nz


Ranui Whanau Fun Day (March 2008)

Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood

Located in the heart of Ranui is Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood, New Zealand's first co-housing neighbourhood based on permaculture principles and eco-design. Earthsong chose to locate in Waitakere because of the City's eco-city policies.

Earthsong consists of 32 homes based on the principles of sustainable living. The Council regards Earthsong as a leading example of an environmentally, socially and economically sustainable community.

More information is available on the Earthsong website: www.earthsong.org.nz

Town Centre Artworks

Mokomoko Sculpture (Gecko)

At the first Project Twin Streams community planting day, local people painted tiles that were used in the creation of the mokomoko (gecko) sculpture, which sits outside the Ranui Library and Community Centre. The gecko was designed and completed by children involved in the Ranui After-School Programme. It has become an important symbol for Project Twin Streams in Ranui.

Urlich Reserve Sculpture

Project Twin Stream's is currently working on a new sculpture to be located at the entrance to Urlich Reserve. This sculpture is set to become an identity marker for the local Ranui-Massey community and the 10 community groups that plant in Urlich Reserve. The sculpture, which will look similar to a nikau, will be decorated with mosaics referencing the cultures within the local community. The base will feature traditional Maori designs, the middle section Croatian designs and the top section Pacific designs. In total, six community groups will be working on the sculpture, assisted by six artists. The sculpture is due to be completed in late 2008.

Urlich Reserve Sculpture

Community Corner

Other town centre artworks include graphic tiles on the outside of the library and community centre building by local painter and artisan Fatu Feu'u and a community sculpture project led and produced by Phill Rooke, which incorporates wood, ceramic and metal elements and holds the information sign for the library and community centre building.


Ranui Town Centre Artworks

Project Twin Streams

Project Twin Streams (PTS) is a long-term council/community partnership which, in Ranui/Massey, is coordinated by Te Ükaipö, working with Ranui Action Project (RAP). PTS Ranui/Massey was the first contract established in 2004. PTS engages with the community and schools to repair, restore and replant parts of the City's green network, with the Swanson, Waimoko and Momotu streams being the focus in the Ranui area. Over 50,000 plants have been planted by the local Ranui community and 100 percent of public areas in the project have been adopted by community groups and residents.

Changing people's behaviour to live more sustainability is also an overarching goal of Project Twin Streams. A Sustainable Household-Sustainable Living Demonstration Project has been developed to work with households to identify and implement actions to live more sustainably. In particular, the project aims for a significant reduction in water and energy use and waste production and encourages people to use their cars less.

More information on Project Twin Streams is available at:

http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/Abtcit/ne/twinstreams.asp

http://www.waitakere.govt.nz/Abtcit/ne/twinstreams.asp#ranui-massey


Project Twin Streams Community Planting at Ranui

Other Relevant Information

There are a number of planning documents and agreements covering this area. They include: