We have a plan to enhance the lake's natural environment and improve and expand the recreational facilities at Bower Park. Our priorities for this redevelopment are:

• Enhancing and protecting the valuable ecological environment surrounding Lake Kate Sheppard
• Maximising the area for the local community - taking the opportunity to upgrade Bower Park, and creating easy and interactive pedestrian and cycle connections through the Lake Kate Sheppard area
• Encouraging play with both the natural environment and designated play spaces
• Building on the mai uta ki kai (mountains to sea) narrative, using elevation points to highlight the areas connection with Travis Wetland/Ōtākaro Avon River and the distant Southern Alps.

Regeneration Plan

The Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor (OARC) Regeneration Plan 2019 is our roadmap for this work. It says that the natural environment in this area, "will be the defining feature [...] which will preserve and restore local and regional habitat for native wetland and birds".

We want the Bower Park play space to reflect the surrounding area. Mounding and climbing elements will reflect the dunes of the nearby coast. The use of local stone, indigenous wetland planting and stepping elements will reflect the wet plain environment.

The play area is designed to bring children closer to nature, inspired by māra hūpara—traditional Māori play elements. Spot a bird from the lookout tower on top of the dunes, create an adventurer circuit through standing logs, explore the rocks and steppers winding through the dunes and planted swales, hide in the native plants and jump in puddles of water (in the swales after rainfall).

We'll use natural timber, recycled from the existing playground where possible. Safety matting will be in sandy colours, with pops of colour in structures and equipment.

Click on the icons below to see the types of equipment we're thinking of. Provide feedback at the bottom of the page on what you like and don't like about the plan.

You can also see the play aspects of our plan for Lake Kate Sheppard and the sports fields by exploring the tabs for each area.

Our plan for expanded sports fields includes two designated rugby fields, four touch fields, one senior softball field, three junior softball fields and a cricket pitch.

Bower Park is well used by local sports groups for training and competitions. We will reconfigure the sports fields to cater for a wide range of sports.

Surrounding the park, we're planning:

• A pedestrian walkway around the perimeter providing better access to the park
• A shaded picnic area for spectators and visitors
• Fitness circuit
• Improved access to Bower Park from Willryan and New Brighton roads
• Upgraded toilet block with potential for future changing rooms
• More tree and shrub planting around the park

Lake Kate Sheppard is the former site of the earthquake-damaged Kate Sheppard Retirement Village. The south-west corner of the site has naturally reverted to wetlands due to increasing 'wetness' in the area, which will likely progress over time due to sea level rise.

Note: while the area is called Lake Kate Sheppard, we won't be touching the lake itself, as this is a regional park.

Our focus is on enhancing and protecting the ecological value of the Lake Kate Sheppard area and the surrounding wetland. Our plan includes:

• Creating a 'protection zone' of the natural wetland on the Anzac Drive side of the site
• Recreational open space areas within the dryer area on the residential side of the site
• Removing the old roads and putting in new pathways
• Play opportunities along the main pathway and constructed swales to encourage play without disturbing the core habitat areas. One of these is proposed to be a large mounding to create a lookout through to the Port Hills
• Mahinga kai opportunities to be developed with mana whenua
• Planting focused on enhancing and expanding the existing natural vegetation
• Enabling effective draining by creating swales and bridges along the pathway

Pathway

We plan on including a main pathway, north to south, which acts as a divider between the ecological restoration area to the west and the recreational area to the east. We want to know which option you think will work better for the area.

We're planning secondary pathways to help integrate the site with neighbouring residential properties.