Future of Broadway - Prospero Place

We're giving some love to the heart of Stratford, by making upgrades to Prospero Place - our town centre.

This is a key project in our Long Term Plan (LTP) with the redevelopment working towards our vision of a Welcoming, Inclusive, Safe community – Te Pūmanawa o Taranaki (translated to the beating heart of Taranaki).

The Future of Broadway project aims to create vibrant public spaces and enhance safety, accessibility, and cultural identity - focusing on these key areas:

Community – transforming Prospero Place into a lively community hub, fostering social interaction and engagement
Connect – improve connectivity between Broadway and Miranda Street, creating a welcoming environment for people to support local businesses, attend events and access surrounding destination areas like the sporting complexes in King Edward Park.
Celebrate – Promote our cultural and historical identity, acknowledging tangata whenua, our unique Shakespearean heritage and reinforcing our natural surroundings. Integrate public art, wayfinding signage, and green spaces to enhance the town’s character.
Safety – improve lighting along Broadway between the roundabouts, installing modern energy efficient lights that both enhance the look and feel of our town centre as well as meets Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) standards.
Sustainability – Implement sustainable and best-practice design principles.

Background

Towards the end of 2016 we launched Stratford 2035 – Making it Real, which was an integrated approach to Stratford’s long term future. This included the Future of Broadway project, focusing on the revitalisation of Prospero Place and Broadway.

Over subsequent years, the project has changed in scope due to changes in land use in the area, such as the demolition of the ANZ bank and land next to Prospero Place becoming available. More recently, concept plans have been drawn up to determine the best use of Prospero Place and surrounding town centre areas. We're now at the stage of bringing the concept plans for Prospero Place to life through detailed designs that reflect the changes in the way that the space is used by our community. We aim to start physical works during the 2025/26 summer months.

We're really excited about getting to work on improving Prospero Place and hope you are too!

We're giving some love to the heart of Stratford, by making upgrades to Prospero Place - our town centre.

The Future of Broadway project aims to create vibrant public spaces and enhance safety, accessibility, and cultural identity - focusing on these key areas:

Community – transforming Prospero Place into a lively community hub, fostering social interaction and engagement
Connect – improve connectivity between Broadway and Miranda Street, creating a welcoming environment for people to support local businesses, attend events and access surrounding destination areas like the sporting complexes in King Edward Park.
Celebrate – Promote our cultural and historical identity, acknowledging tangata whenua, our unique Shakespearean heritage and reinforcing our natural surroundings. Integrate public art, wayfinding signage, and green spaces to enhance the town’s character.
Safety – improve lighting along Broadway between the roundabouts, installing modern energy efficient lights that both enhance the look and feel of our town centre as well as meets Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) standards.
Sustainability – Implement sustainable and best-practice design principles.

Background

We're really excited about getting to work on improving Prospero Place and hope you are too!

What's happening now?

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Staff and Elected Members have reviewed the feedback received and the Project Team's proposed changes to the draft design in response to this feedback. A summary of the feedback can be viewed here.
Originally, we aimed to finalise the design at the recent Council meeting on Tuesday 12 August, followed by contractor tendering and physical works starting over summer.
However, the Project Team has requested more time to:
- Further scope design elements, specifically covered areas
- Explore a staged approach to construction and how budget is allocated
- Allow the incoming Council to contribute to the project’s final direction
We’ll be working on these points over the next few months and will continue to keep you updated on the project as it progresses.
Follow the project page, subscribe to our community newsletter, or download the free Antenno App to keep up-to-date.

Feedback received - thanks for sharing your views

Ngā mihi nui, many thanks to everyone who took the time to share their views on the draft designs for Prospero Place.

We had 120 pieces of feedback on the designs, and below is a summary of the key themes identified.

Elected Members will be reviewing feedback and the recommended changes to the design at an Ordinary Meeting on Tuesday 12 August. The Decision Report, can be found in the Agenda here from page 40 onwards. It includes all feedback received and an updated design for consideration.

Key theme	Feedback summary	Comments from the Project Team
Accessibility	Accessibility is a major concern, with calls for wheelchair and pram-friendly paths, safe access to the library (easy access from disability parking down lane), and ensuring footpaths are non-slip. People were also keen to ensure any play areas catered to all and are safe.	Accessibility paving was overwhelmingly the most important issue. We are providing a significant amount of connections not previously available onsite. All footpaths will be accessible and above 1.8m wide. Allowing wheelchair access. In addition, all the footpaths will be designed to suitable gradients at detailed design stage. Slip resistance will be dealt with via new surfaces and removal of existing pavers. The play area will have play equipment that does cater to all, however it's important to note this area is for discovery play and will not resemble the type of playground found in our other parks.
Weather protection	Strong support for retaining and expanding covered walkways, especially between Broadway and Miranda Street. Respondents emphasised the need for non-slip surfaces, shaded picnic areas, and weatherproof infrastructure to ensure year-round usability	The covered walkway was 2nd in the 'Really important – must have' category of the “What design features are important” section of the public feedback. The cost for a covered walkway is unlikely to be afforded in the current budget, but can be retrofitted at a later date as part of future Long Term Plans. The Project Team will explore options as the project progresses. Pavement slip resistance is planned to be improved through change of materials from existing terracotta brick pavers to a range of exposed concrete surfaces.
Cultural Identity	Many want the design to celebrate Stratford’s Shakespearean heritage, including: - Retaining the Shakespeare bust - Adding themed sculptures, quotes, or interactive features Stratford Shakespeare Trust expressed interest in collaborating. There’s also support for Māori cultural representation and local storytelling through art and design. Some requests to restore and relocate historic pieces such as the Bubble Fountain from King Edward Park.	The Project Team will continue to work with Iwi and other interested parties to explore cultural identity themes while construction of the physical layout is underway.
Community Use	The space is seen as a potential hub for community events, markets, and performances, provided it remains flexible, inclusive, and welcoming. Ideas for lighting, decorations, and events such as music performances were provided, specifically re Christmas and Puanga. Many people suggest the raised platform shouldn't be near the main highway, but instead at the opposite corner of Prospero Place. Support for temporary/removable stage and open areas for markets and performances. Some consideration given to an area for bike parking especially with E-Bikes becoming more popular.	The community wants an area for gathering and events. However feedback received outlined the proposed location for a raised platform will not work due to noise from the traffic on Broadway. The Project Team has recommended relocating the platform to the north-west corner to mitigate this. The design will allow for bike parking, which could be considered to be upgraded to e-bike charging in future Long Term Plans.
Cost prioritisation	A significant amount of feedback expressed concern about project costs and ratepayer burden. Some feedback on the use of local designers and suppliers needed. Some concerns about maintenance costs (eg, people would love more colourful planting but only if it will get looked after properly)	Procurement was as per Council's Procurement Policy with local designers invited to submit a tender. Future maintenance cost consideration was included as part of the scope of works.
Broadway improvements	Respondents were keen to see the overall look of the town improved (e.g., painting the buildings, hanging baskets), support existing businesses, and ensure the project complements rather than isolates the library, café and gallery.	Changes to Broadway are not part of the scope for this project. However, it's top of mind and Council staff will be identifying future Stratford 2035 projects to address this issue. The project aims to create a new vibrant hub which will further enhance the visitor experience when accessing the cafe, gallery and Library and Visitor Information Centre, while providing a welcoming space in the CBD for customers and businesses to enjoy.

Your views welcomed

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Feedback is now open on our draft designs for Prospero Place.
What's your view?
We want to know...
- How does the design makes you feel?
- Do you like the new pathway layout?
- What do you think about having a discovery play area?
- Any comments on the location of the features included?
- Have we missed anything that needs to be considered as part of the final design?
- What’s your favourite part of the design and what’s your least favourite?
- Tell us what you see as a priority for this community space.
This is your opportunity to help us nail down the final design.
Complete our short feedback form here.
Feedback closes 13 July.
Project update - Detailed designs going to elected members for discussion

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Our initial concept designs have been refined, following discussions with key stakeholders and business owners in the area. Thanks to everyone who was involved.
Key points from the feedback:
- We've heard that the current pavers are too slippery, so we'd like to replace these with a more pedestrian-friendly option. Right now, we're looking carefully at our project budgets and timeframes to work out when this can happen.
- Vehicle access for markets and events is important. So, we are keeping the gate entrance beside the café on the south side of the Prosper Place.
See the designs
Elected members will discuss the new detailed designs during the meeting of the Policy & Services Committee on Tuesday 27 May, but you can view them now. See the designs below.
In the meeting, we'll be asking councillors for their feedback about the:
• Covered Walkway - to have or not to have? It's no longer fit for purpose but would add more cost to replace.
• Raised multi-functional platform - southeast or northwest corner of Prospero Place? Close to the street action or away from the hustle and bustle? That is the question.
Download a PDF of the designs
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