Tokoroa CBD project nears end of consenting process

South Waikato District Council is pleased to advise its community that the Tokoroa CBD project is tracking well through the building consent process.

"Our innovative and very different building design has added some time to the building consent process, but we are now nearing the end of the process, said Ben Smit, Deputy Chief Executive

Other aspects of this significant project are taking shape. Removal of the trees has opened up the visibility of Leith Place from and to the state highway, creating a light open feeling for the area. Feedback has been largely positive with varying comments from people in the community like "great stuff" and "can't wait to see the new upgrade completed".

The Wai Putāruru Talking Pole has been removed and relocated to the Tokoroa Indoor Pools. The Raukawa Talking Pole has been removed to keep it safe during the construction period. This will be reinstated in the Talking Pole forest once the project is complete.

"We have had a lot of queries about the iconic Greenman and Chainsaw Man," said Ben Smit, Deputy Chief Executive. "We assure our community that the Chainsaw Man will be included in the Talking Pole forest. The Greenman is slightly more complex. We plan to relocate him but he is suffering some rot, and we are unsure if the move will damage him beyond repair. We are still looking at siting options."

Changes to the State Highway 1 through Tokoroa have been successfully implemented Council is confident that the new road marking layout the roading engineers designed following a safety audit, will be safer for users, creating a streamlined flow of traffic through Tokoroa with larger and safer turning bays both off and on to the highway.

"Change is difficult, but the new one lane road markings are easy to read and make a lot of sense for traffic movement," said Gordon Naidoo, Council's Roading Manager. "We encourage users to drive with care while we all get used to the new layout."

"Once the building consent comes through, the next step is to obtain pricing for the building and civil works," continued Mr Smit. "When that is in place, we will have a good idea of when we can break ground on this exciting development."

Ends: words: 374