Rolleston Town Centre Story so far
In this section
Rolleston is booming.
When the Rolleston Town Centre planning began the projection was that over 30 years the town would grow from 8,000 people to between 18-22,000 people. 10 years later and Rolleston is already at 22,000 and remains one of the fastest growing towns in the coutnry.
The town centre is part of the ongoing structural plans for Rolleston. It aims to give a heart to the growing town, with community spaces for all, mixing gathering and learning spaces. history, art, active and casual recreation along side commercial spaces.
In order to plan for this growth and guide future initiatives, the Council developed the Rolleston Structure Plan (adopted in September 2009).
As part of this, a series of options to improve the existing town centre were developed.
A preferred town centre option was outlined and a master planning exercise was recommended to implement this option.
Since the Rolleston Structure Plan
Much has happened since the adoption of the Rolleston Structure Plan:
- Canterbury earthquakes
- Council rezoning of 462ha of land for residential (5433 new houses) (Plan Change 7)
- Urban design controls for the Business 1 land (Plan Change 29)
- Development of the Recreation Precinct – including the construction of the Selwyn Aquatic Centre, Foster Park and masterplanning for the remaining area
- New town centre developments: The Warehouse; Countdown; Police Station
Timeline of Town Centre developments
December 2022
The Youth Space opened while the private development of Rolleston Fields opened its first commercial spaces.
Street art, skateboarding, hip hop and sports competitions were all on show as hundreds enjoyed the newly opened area on the edge of Rolleston Reserve.
Te Ara Ātea celebrated a hugely successful first year with over 164,000 visits over the year.
December 2021
Te Ara Ātea and the sensory experience open.
September 2021 - Services, car parks and slow speed road work begins on Rolleston Reserve
The next stage of work on the town centre has begun with the building of new car parks, the installation of services, ready for the town square and commercial developments and the building of the new slow speed road connecting Moore Street and
Rolleston Drive. The work is due to be completed in May 2022.
A section of the Rolleston Reserve greenspace is closed to allow work to occur, and the playground and skate park will be closed at
times during construction, when work is required in those areas. Access will remain for the Scouts Den, Playcentre, tennis courts and Rolleston Community Centre.
Map of the works and the closed areas [PDF, 829 KB].
February 2021 - work begins on sensory experience
The sensory experience, designed to cater for people’s different neurological and physical needs, is being built by Armitage Williams. Surrounded by raised gardens and trees, the experience will be a highly accessible space with a treat for all the senses, from a quiet space, to areas with bursts of colour, musical instruments, water features, art works, different tactile experiences, smells and even tastes from edible plants.
The area has been designed with input from Waitaha School staff and pupils and Barrier Free Trust. Pupils from Rolleston schools including Waitaha School have created art works for the space, which is designed to be a quieter space away from the busyness of the town square.
December 2020 - Roof goes on Te Ara Ātea
A milestone is passed for the town centre anchor project with the roof going on Te Ara Ātea and the work moving indoors.
Work has begun on fitting the building’s windows and sliding doors, including the large second floor windows that will provide views across Rolleston and out to the Southern Alps, along with the internal walls.
September 2020 - Consultation on Rolleston Reserve redevelopment
Selwyn residents are being asked to help design proposed new community public spaces in the redevelopment of Rolleston Reserve. The proposals are part of the wider Rolleston town centre project.
Over the past year we’ve been consulting with the community about options for the reserve. We’re proposing to include a sensory garden and a youth space in the reserve, along with open green space with new trees and paths.
Consultation on these proposals is open from Tuesday 15 September to Wednesday 15 October 2020.
Find out more about the proposed changes and make a submission.
Read our news story about the proposed changes.
August 2020 - Updates to Rolleston town centre design
We’ve proposed a number of changes to the design and layout of the Rolleston town centre, including roads, pedestrian areas and car parks. The main change suggested is removing the planned extension of Wordsworth Street, which would have run through the town centre. This will improve pedestrian access across the town centre and encourage reduced speeds.
Consultation will also cover entry from Tennyson Street, entry to the town centre car park from Rolleston Drive and Tennyson Street and pedestrian walkways through car parks.
Consultation is open from 31 August to 5 October 2020.
Find out more about the proposed changes and make a submission.
Read our news story about the proposed changes.
Watch the video overview of the latest plans.
July 2020 – fly-over video of major projects
Check out our latest fly-through video and see the rapid progress on Selwyn’s exciting new community facility projects – Selwyn Health Hub, Te Ara Ātea and Rolleston town centre, Selwyn Aquatic Centre extension and Foster Park indoor courts.
Watch the video of progress on our major projects.
July 2020 – Tennyson Street reopens after roading works accelerated
Major upgrades to Tennyson Street were completed around three months faster than scheduled.
Read our news story about the latest work.
February 2020 – Tennyson Street roading upgrades update
In order to complete the upgrade works ahead more quickly changes have been made to these roading upgrades, which are expected to be completed by the end of June 2020 - weather permitting.
- From Monday 2 March 2020 Tennyson Street will be closed from 43 Tennyson Street to the Rolleston Police Station (the length of Rolleston Reserve)
- A detour will be in place using Byron Street, Brookside Road and Rolleston Drive
- A temporary extension is being added to Markham Way to allow residents to exit Markham Way, Wilbur Close and Peel Close and to provide access to the carparks for the shops on the corner of Tennyson Street and Markham Way.
- The 820 (Lincoln/Burnham) and 85 (Rolleston/city) stops on Tennyson Street will be moved to a temporary location on Rolleston Drive
- Pedestrian access to Tennyson Street will be maintained throughout the upgrade
See a map of the affected area including bus route changes
January 2020 – Roading upgrades coming to Tennyson Street
Major upgrades to Tennyson Street are beginning in January 2020 as part of the Rolleston town centre project.
The upgrade works include adding street lighting, landscaping, improved pedestrian access and installing the necessary infrastructure services for the buildings in the town centre.
- From Monday 13 January 2020 Tennyson Street will be closed to northbound traffic from Markham Way to Moore Street.
- Tennyson Street between Markham Way and Rolleston Drive will remain open to two-way traffic in the meantime.
- A second phase will include extending the one-way restriction on Tennyson Street from Markham Way to Rolleston Drive – we will provide further information closer to the time when this is happening.
The one-way restrictions will be in place until these upgrades are completed, which is expected to be in early May, weather permitting.
Some bus routes and stops will be changing during the upgrade:
- The 820 (Lincoln/Burnham) and 85 (Rolleston/city) routes north-bound will not travel along Tennyson Street
- The bus stop on the west side of Tennyson Street, outside Rolleston Reserve, will be closed
- These routes will detour along Rolleston Drive, Norman Kirk Drive and Kidman Street
- These routes will use the existing (Yellow Line) bus stop on the west side of Rolleston Drive, near McCauley Street
- The 820 and 85 routes south-bound will continue to use Tennyson Street
- The bus stop on the east side of Tennyson Street, opposite Rolleston Reserve, will be moved a short distance to opposite Moore Street.
- The Yellow Line route is unaffected
See a map of the affected area [PDF, 283 KB]
See a detailed map of bus route and bus stop changes [PDF, 274 KB]
Read more about the roading changes
September 2019 – blessing marks launch of town centre construction
Construction of the new Rolleston town centre was launched in September 2019 with a blessing ceremony led by Te Taumutu Rūnanga. The ceremony marked the beginning of construction of Te Ara Ātea, the new library, community and cultural facility, which will be the first stage in the town centre development.
Work on the site began in November, and the building is expected to be completed in early 2021. The Council appointed Armitage Williams Construction Limited as the contractor to build Te Ara Ātea, with Isaac Construction carrying out the transport and infrastructure work for the town centre, starting with work on Tennyson Street.
Read more about the blessing ceremony and construction plans.
August 2019 - Design guidelines released
Design guidelines for the Rolleston Town Centre development were released in August 2019.
The guidelines set out a framework for the design of the new town centre, and give guidance to developers who will be designing both private and public spaces and buildings within the area. They are aimed at creating a civic ‘heart’ for Rolleston that is anchored by the new library/community centre, Te Ara Ātea, and complemented by surrounding businesses.
View or download the design guidelines [PDF, 9834 KB] document (update online 7 May 2021)
Read more about the design guidelines
View recent consultation on Rolleston town centre roading and public spaces and on Te Ara Ātea – Library and Community Centre.
June 2016
A two page summary showing the confirmed zoning for Rolleston and Lincoln town centres was published in June 2016. This was a result of Commissioner's decisions on an action as part of the Land Use Recovery Plan.
May 2014
The Rolleston Town Centre Masterplan [PDF, 12793 KB] was adopted on 23 April 2014.
The Foster Recreation Park Masterplan [PDF, 15400 KB] was adopted on 23 April 2014.
Please note for those on Dial Up the files are quite large.
The masterplans are available at Rolleston Headquarters for viewing. Photocopying charges apply if you wish to take a copy of the masterplan away.
April 2014
Foster Recreation Park Submissions report [PDF, 1429 KB] has been completed and you can download this report, or view it at Rolleston Headquarters.
Town Centre Masterplan Submissions Report [PDF, 701 KB] has been completed.
The Councillors meet on 28 January 2014 to discuss the feedback that was presented at the workshop on 4 December 2013.
Comments on the Rolleston Town Centre Masterplan [PDF, 2796 KB]
Comments on the Foster Recreation Park Masterplan [PDF, 1509 KB]
Consultation
We engaged in consultation with the community sending out Your Town...Your Future [PDF, 2926 KB] brochure to the community within a 5km radius of Rolleston.