Work on a new, safer and more accessible pedestrian access to Fitzroy Beach is set to begin in the first week of February.
The new ramp and steps will connect the top of Ron Barclay Drive, near the bottom of Beach Street, with the car park opposite the Fitzroy Surf Life Saving Club building.
“The new ramp and steps are a safer and easier path than the road and the existing aging steps, especially for families and anyone with a pram, mobility scooter or wheelchair. Everyone should have access to our great outdoors, and Fitzroy Beach and the children’s pool are hugely popular in summer,” said NPDC Project Delivery Manager Sean Cressy
"We've had to take extra care with the foundations of the ramp and steps as they are being built on sandy ground and a steep slope. We're also covering an exposed sewer pipe on the reserve with a retaining wall."
Enabling Good Lives Taranaki (EGL Taranaki), which represents people with disabilities, welcomed the ramp access down to the only beach in Taranaki with an accessible beach wheelchair.
“This is a game changer for people with disabilities and the decision to go ahead with this project shows Taranaki is willing to lead the way in making beaches and public spaces accessible for everyone in our community,” said EGL Taranaki chairman Daniel Vandenberg.
“The current access is 60 years old, dangerous and needed upgrading. By choosing this project, everyone in the community benefits from safer access to a beautiful part of our coastline. Me hiki ngā hau o te panoni i tō tātou hapori katoa – May the winds of change be uplifting to all in our community."
The ramp will be 140m from Ron Barclay Drive to the carpark and the steps will be 25m, and they are expected to be completed by the end of June.
The budget for the project, which will include landscaping and planting, is $1.4m of which 51 per cent is funding from NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) Waka Kotahi.
At a glance:
- NPDC’s Accessibility Strategy aims to champion an inclusive society that promotes the well-being of all.
- New Plymouth District population figures from Stats NZ Tatauranga Aotearoa show:
- Almost 20 per cent of the district’s 90,300 people in 2023 were aged 65 or over, up from about 18 per cent in 2013.
- About 17 per cent of that age group had some form of disability.
- Almost 4 per cent of all residents had difficulty walking, compared with 3 per cent nationally.
- The number of families rose from about 20,600 in 2013 to 23,400 in 2023.
- Our Open Space, Sport and Recreation Strategy aims for easy access to our great open spaces.
Caption: Aerial view of the ramp and steps to be built at Fitzroy Beach.
