Stratford District Council (SDC) is giving some love to the heart of Stratford by making upgrades to Prospero Place - the town centre, and is calling for community feedback on the draft designs.

From humble beginnings as a small town square tucked away and out of view from the main highway, to the prominent green space now taking centre stage in our Shakespearean town under the mountain, the time has come to turn this into a thriving and welcoming area for locals and visitors alike.

Director Community Services, Kate Whareaitu says, “Prospero Place has evolved substantially in the last 6 years and it’s exciting to get stuck into developing a more fit for purpose community space.”

“We’ve been monitoring how the town centre is currently used, and asking questions of regular users and neighbouring businesses, which has led to the draft designs now available for public comment,” says Kate. “We think we’ve landed on a design that will be practical while pleasing to the eye, but we’re keen to hear from our community and those passing by too.”

“This is their opportunity to tell us if we’ve prioritised design elements that reflect our community’s needs and wants, before we get down to the finer details and lock in design materials,” she says.

To see the draft designs and share your views, visit YourSay.Stratford.govt.nz/Prospero-Place or pop by the Stratford Library and Visitor Information Centre to look at the drawings up close and have a conversation with staff.

Feedback is open until 13 July. After which, the project team will collate comments and determine any changes required to the design for final approval by Elected Members. It’s anticipated that a final design will be complete in September, and physical work is due to begin during the summer months.

Visitors to YourSay.Stratford.govt.nz/Prospero-Place can also ask questions about the project, answer quick polls and share their own memories of Prospero Place through the years. For those new to Stratford, there’s photos of what the area used to look like, a walk down memory lane for those who’ve been in the community for several years. We'd also love to hear from anyone that might have old footage of the town centre tucked away in their home archives so it can be added to Stratford's Heritage Collection online at Stratford.recollect.co.nz

Project background

• Towards the end of 2016 Stratford District Council 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.
• SDC is 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 the community.
• The project's budget is $1.2 million and is being delivered across the first 3 years of the Long Term Plan 2024-34.
• The project supports SDC’s vision of a Welcoming, Inclusive and Safe Community – Te Pumanawa o Taranaki.

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