It’s been almost a year in the making with more than 300 submissions flowing in, but consultants delivered a final draft of the Te Anau Basin Development Plan to the appointed Review Governance Group late this week.

An artist's impression of what Te Anau's main street may look like in the future. Graphic: SDC/WSP NZ Ltd

A new year-round heated swimming pool was by far the biggest want for the community with 209 of the more than 300 submissions received calling for the pool.

Local Southland District councillor and former Fiordland Community Board chair Sarah Greaney, who sits on the governance group, says once the plan has been ratified it will be used by the Community Board for input into the annual and long-term plans.

The plan, with the community’s feedback taken on board, will now identify the priorities that the board needs to consider as part of the ongoing growth and development of the Fiordland area, she says.

“As a community board we’ve been waiting for this so we can look at options for things like the development of the lakefront area and what our urban and housing development requirements are,” Greaney says.

However, the community board can only start looking at implementing ideas that fall under its own governance.

The plan was co-funded by the board and the Milford Opportunities Project, which is keen to develop a Park ‘n’ Ride bus hub on the outskirts of town, for example.

The possible location of a Park 'n' Ride facility on the outskirts of Te Anau. Graphic: SDC/WSP NZ Ltd

Community Board chair Diane Holmes says there’s been a huge amount of positive feedback to the plan, while concerns were raised about the affordability of other aspects.

“This is only a concept and a guide to future projects,” she says.

Any spatial plan for the lakefront and town centre would require more feedback and must be budgeted for in the long-term plan.

She says it came as no surprise that a bus hub had been suggested to reduce the volume of traffic into Milford Sound without reducing the numbers of tourists.

That feedback has gone to the government.

“If a bus hub was built this would provide an opportunity for private enterprise to come up with an appropriate mobile transport solution,” she says.

Te Anau's Little Park Lane, currently a service road for main street businesses, could become a second frontage overlooking a much smaller Memorial Park. Graphic: SDC/WSP NZ Ltd

Some submitters suggested that Memorial Park be partially utilised for future growth of retail, only if retail space ever became an issue, however, that would require community consultation, she says.

Food carts and paved areas have also been suggested for the green space on the lake side of Lion’s Park.

Holmes says the consultants believe there’s adequate appropriately zoned land for future housing and urban development to see the basin through for 30 years and double its size.

As with most other urban areas there are suggestions that Te Anau moves away from the traditional quarter acre section into more affordable, terraced or unit-style housing.

Fiordland Business Association chairperson Nathan Benfell says there are opportunities to “look outside the square” in terms of future housing and urban development and it’s great that local builders and draughts-people are doing this.

“It’s about how we ulitise the land we’ve got,” Benfell says.

He’d personally like to see some form of apartment-style housing which currently isn’t that easy, particularly due to height regulations.

“We need the ability to use land more efficiently, lower costs, and make it more affordable and I’d like to see that in more detail.”

He doesn’t necessarily think closing off the lakefront is the best option, maybe narrowing it, but this area needs to be used to its strengths to create more vibrancy.

“We’re on the verge of 3 million acres of National Park so we have an obligation to balance commercial and environmental aspects,” he says.

The Lakefront Bistro owner Clare Pennell is all for a bus hub with tourist buses shading and blocking the view from her café-restaurant, and drivers leaving them running outside to keep bus air conditioning going during summer.

This also creates unpleasant fumes for her customers.

“I won’t be bothered if six bus parks go and it would be great to have a bus hub,” Pennell says.

She has consent to block the bus parking outside her business but will be forced to pay $2500 for appropriate markings.

“A hub would be better for the town. The bus passengers don’t contribute a lot of money into downtown,” she says.

As a relative newcomer arriving from Wanaka 18 months ago, Pennell would love to see the town area spruced up and looking more presentable in any future plans.

Rubbish bins are battered and knocked over and commercial buildings need tidied up, she says.

Due to open her second venue, Blak Shak, a small souvlaki and coffee takeaway business in front of a storage space that she’s secured, Pennell says water blasting to get rid of extensive moss made a huge difference to that building’s presentation.

CLICK HERE to view the draft development plan and its supporting documents.