Feedback from the community hui
The South Dunedin Community Network held a community hui at Bathgate Park School on Wednesday 9 November 2022.
Dream South D introduced the Dream South D project to attendees and volunteer facilitators posed a number of questions developed by Dream South D to each seated tables. Facilitators supported discussions based on the questions and recorded responses.
Approximately 94 number of people attended the hui and heard the introduction, with 64 people remaining after the meal and taking part in the workshop.
The questions asked during this workshop session were:
What do you love about South D?
What matters to you and your whānau in South D?
What are the opportunities for South D that should not be missed?
What one of these opportunities would make the most difference to our community?
Responses to the four workshop questions have been grouped into themes and are summarised below. A brief summary and analysis of answers provided to these questions are provided below.
Question 1: What do you love about South D?
People love the facilities and their accessibility. Just over 40% of responses were related to satisfaction with the amenities and facilities contained within South D, and how accessible and convenient they are because of being on the flat.
People love their community. A quarter of responses related to pride in the diversity and friendliness of the people around them.
People love the lifestyle. They love being able to cycle/scooter/walk/bus to places, especially the beach.
The history of South D and the festivals and community events held there are also loved.
Specific events mentioned were Poly Fest and the South Dunedin Street Festival while historical locations identified included Hillside Workshop and the last Braemar St cottage.
Question 2: What matters to you and your whānau in South D?
One third of responses can be included in the broad theme of ‘access’ or ‘accessability’. Many people want a more walkable, accessible and safer ‘transport system’. People identified the need for safer roads, more buses, walkable streets and open spaces with improved access.
Suggestions include:
Pedestrian crossings outside every schools
More beach access
Another key theme that emerged in answer to this question was the value or importance of belonging to an inclusive community (with a total of 24% of responses). This includes the ability for people to connect to and care for everyone in the community and having a ‘feeling of belonging’. Sports and recreation facilities, including more playgrounds, community gardens, and a physio pool, provide more places for people to come together and connect.
The need to modernise the retail area was also a common theme. Answers noted the need to attract more businesses and more visitors, and to make it more accessible (safer for pedestrians). Some suggestions for improvements were:
More seating in public spaces
Art in empty shop windows
More pocket parks (like Lorne St)
Repaint shops
More and better pedestrian crossings
Library
Fewer vape shops
Community spaces
Develop Hillside Workshop area
Handrails and revamp at St Clair
Cost of living increases were recorded only twice; climate change once and getting rid of pubs was suggested once.
Question 3 What are the opportunities for South D that should not be missed?
Just over one third of responses relate to the development of new facilities for community use. People suggested facilities for bringing groups together, such as a community hub, a library at St Kilda, youth facilities including skateparks and basketball courts, development of Mayfair Theatre by DCC for youth, a youth hub, a destination playground, and biking track.
Forbury Park was identified as a multipurpose resource. Suggestions included mixed community housing and allotments or community gardens. Other responses were the creation of a water park or wetland, using water draining from Corstophine. Likewise, Hillside Workshops could have multiple uses, including a museum and housing.
Several responses focused on green spaces and parks. Existing parks and other public spaces need more seating, toilets, shelters/rotunda, trees, BBQs, covered bus shelters, and disabled carparks. A café at Marlow Park was suggested, and food trucks encouraged.
Around 23% of responses related to a desire for upgrades to the transport network (paths, roads, and parking) and retail revitalization.
There was also a focus on the creation and resourcing of new community groups and adult/youth education facilities (17% of responses). Responses included emergency response group, neighborhood watch, digital literacy, veggie co-op, gardening, growing, and cooking food, and a repair café.
The chance to develop well-planned high-density housing with accessible facilities was identified several times, for Forbury and Hillside.
Wider distribution of local newsletters was suggested, while another response was that positive stories about South D should be widely distributed to help shift negative attitudes towards South Dunedin.
Local government needs to do more consultation with the South D community and explore all the options for climate resilience.
Question 4: What one of these opportunities would make the most difference to our community?
There were fewer responses recorded for this question, possibly due to it being the last question and attendees running out of time, or alternatively people may have found it a difficult question to answer. Priority opportunities were somewhat evenly spread across the physical, built, and community environments.
Water/flooding and climate resilience:
Water from Corstophine needs to be pumped elsewhere. It could be pumped into a lake/water park or wetlands at Forbury Park.
How do we secure our future in South Dunedin?
The built environment:
Community hub
Physio pool
Upgrades to main street, Lorne St
Destination playgrounds
Well-planned high-density social housing
Communities:
Connecting people and sustaining connections
Youth engagement
Community hub
Summary
Attendees see South D as having a diverse community and a place where people feel connected and care for each other and where they have a wealth of facilities, and good access, with destinations being a bus ride, walk or scooter away. The workshop session highlighted a range of great ideas to further develop South D as an inclusive, supportive community with great assets and events.
Photo: Courtesy of the Otago Daily Times, Dunedin, New Zealand.