The Kāpiti Coast District Council has today published its Kāpiti Gateway application to the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) and supporting Indicative Business Case.

In August, the government announced support of $2.23 million for the Kāpiti Gateway project from the Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund.

Acting Group Manager Place and Space, Darryn Grant, says the application and Indicative Business Case made a solid case for government funding.

“While we acknowledge that further work is required to test some of the assumptions in the Indicative Business Case, the application put forward tells a clear and compelling story about why Kāpiti needs a Gateway and the potential social, cultural, environment and economic benefits this project would bring to the district,” Mr Grant said.

Providing an iconic visitor experience and improving the Kāpiti Island departure point has been a discussion point in the Kāpiti Coast community for many years. Council undertook significant consultation as part of the Maclean Park Management Plan Refresh 2016-17 which resulted in the plan being changed to allow more space for a Gateway in the future.

Funding to explore the viability of a Kāpiti Gateway, and identify concepts, was subsequently signalled in the Council’s Toitū Kāpiti Long term plan 2018–38 and was retested with community representatives and stakeholders as part of an independent feasibility study carried out late last year.

Mr Grant says the Gateway projects aligns with and supports a number of local, regional and national planning documents in the areas of economic development, tourism, conservation, biodiversity and iwi’s aspirations to share the district’s culture and history.

“It sits within the framework of the Council’s Toitū Kāpiti Long term plan 2018-38 which is why we decided to progress the opportunity at pace, drawing on the findings from the Gateway Feasibility Report that was completed in March this year and feedback received from our iwi partners, key stakeholders and community representatives to date, to secure government funding for this project.

“The Indicative Business Case had to be finalised in the midst of COVID-19 Alert Level 4 and 3 to ensure we met the PGF application requirements,” Mr Grant said.

“Now that we know we have been successful in securing government funding we are working through a process, having listened to community and elected member concerns, to look at some of the variables we applied in the Indicative Business Case. This includes looking at a range of options for how the Gateway centre might operate.”

Mr Grant said Council staff are currently working with a small group of councillors to review the Indicative Business Case with a view to providing the full Council with options to help them make a decision.

Councillor and business and jobs portfolio holder, Angela Buswell, says Councillors McCann, Holborow, Handford and Halliday have welcomed the opportunity to meet with staff to review the assumptions made in the Indicative Business Case.

“The government’s commitment to fund this project presents an enormous opportunity for Kāpiti. It would be remiss of Council not to fully explore all the available options and to weigh up the social, cultural, environment and economic benefits of this project, alongside community feedback, before making a decision on whether to proceed with this project at this time,” Cr Buswell said.

Further information about the Kāpiti Gateway and the Council’s application to the PGF can be viewed on the Council’s website www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/your-council/projects/kapiti-gateway-centre/

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