Current projects and news

Work on a makeover of the road around the New Plymouth Cenotaph begins on June 2026.

The Cenotaph is a place of reflection and ceremony to remember those who gave their lives in service to the countryand the  trial is aimed at making the area safer for pedestrians and drivers as well as visitors to the war memorial.

It will see Queen Street become one-way between St Aubyn and Young streets, with entry open only to left-turning traffic from St Aubyn Street, and the creation of a pedestrian area between the monument and the Cenotaph Rock Garden on the western corner of Queen and St Aubyn street.

Planters, astroturf and coloured road surfaces will define the new pedestrian-only space on the western side of the Cenotaph.

While some of the 20 car parking spaces in the project area will be moved in the trial, it retains the same number of spaces as now, including a mobility space, and retains vehicle access to neighbouring buildings.

We’re carrying out this project after consulting with residents and the RSA (Returned and Services Association) and in partnership with Ngāti Te Whiti hapū.

The Cenotaph sits in the centre of a complicated Y-shaped intersection that splits Queen Street traffic into four directions at two junctions with St Aubyn Street, an area with a very high vehicle volume, where sightlines can be limited especially a busy times.

The trial has a budget of $300,000, which is 51 per cent funded by the NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, and will be in place for 12 months before a report to the Mayor and Councillors giving road user data, public feedback and behavioural observations that will inform future decisions on the site.

Construction will start on Monday 29 June and is expected to take up to four weeks.

New Plymouth city centre is in for a makeover as some of Devon Street’s aging alder trees make way for new native plant areas.

The first three trees near the intersection of Devon and Gover streets were removed in December 2024. Eleven alder trees were removed between Robe and Brougham streets in April 2025 and another eight east of Brougham Street will be taken down in April 2026.

The replacement planting uses native trees and plants that are part of our coastal heritage, guided by the Devon Street Green Masterplan, and contributes to the Ngāmotu New Plymouth City Centre Strategy vision for a family-friendly city centre where people want to shop, stop and enjoy. 

The design for the West End Crossing was developed in partnership with Ngāti te Whiti and completed after targeted stakeholder engagement residents, businesses and organizations. 

All the existing car parks outside the White Hart will be relocated.  Combined with the creation of other new parking spaces, this will result in a net increase of five parking spaces, including two mobility spaces.

The project includes:  

• Kerb extensions with plants that will allow for five new parking spaces.
• A raised crossing over Devon Street between the White Hart building and the corner of Robe Street.
• Reversing the one-way direction on Queen Street between King and Devon streets to create a shared space for pedestrians and vehicles with seating, outdoor dining and native planting.

The West End Crossing was one of the first high-impact projects identified on the Pūkākā Link.

Enabling works started on King Street in January 2026, to be followed by streetscape construction on Queen and Devon streets, which is expected to take about six months.

Work to open up and restore the Huatoki began in early 2026. Demolition of the Metro Plaza on Devon Street is the start of a three-stage project to bring daylight back to a section of the Huatoki after almost a century under cover.​​

The Metro Plaza, which has covered the Huatoki since 1929, will give way to a public walkway and footbridge across the Huatoki, connecting Devon and Brougham streets, created alongside new developments by K.D. Holdings (KDH) on both sides of the awa.​​

The Huatoki project is NPDC’s first ever public-private partnership, working with KDH, which owns the property on either side of the Huatoki, and Ngāti te Whiti hapū. 

The demolition is scheduled to be finished in the first half of 2026 and construction of the project is scheduled for completion later in 2027.​​

This is the first major project under the Huatoki Masterplan, which maps out the development a series of open, green public spaces from the Coastal Walkway to Vivian Street.