tactical
Timaru

About

As part of the design process to scale from possibilities back to priorities, the Framework set forth the range of Trials that could be undertaken. The purpose of the Trials was to test and refine concepts for change with the community before committing large amounts of funding to irreversible physical works or making significant changes to regulation or policy. To provide an early indication of our overall direction of travel, and to encourage conversations about synergies or conflicts with other community events and plans, this provisional schedule of Trials also included an indicative timeline for each.

Considering first a large suite of possible Trials and refining them down to a smaller suite of priority Trials allowed us to select and implement only those that offered the best value to ratepayers in terms of both immediate outcomes and insights available to the master planning process. This protected against ad hoc decision-making/spending and also offered stakeholders an early opportunity to make their own recommendations.

In the case of spatial trials, we understood that the present uncertainty might have been unsettling for building and business owners in the relevant areas. We needed to find the right balance between being bold, creating the right investment direction, and being responsible and respectful of any concerns that might have been raised around future or interim impacts. We recognised that it was a difficult operating context for many at the time, facing the unprecedented social and financial challenges presented by the pandemic.

Decisions to progress any particular Trial were made on a case-by-case basis through the preparation of individual Trial Concepts, which outlined not only the specifics of what was proposed and why, but also relevant details around success criteria, evaluation and monitoring, impacts and mitigation, timing, and costs.

Feedback from directly affected stakeholders (e.g., neighbouring businesses, building owners) was sought, and these ideas were fed back into the design process. This input from those immediately on the spot regarding both the practical and perceived implications of each Trial was critical for us to make well-informed decisions about which should progress (and when, where, how). For each Trial, we published an evaluation report summarising the feedback received, any other data points collected, analysis, key insights, and any interim conclusions or next steps.

Through evaluation and monitoring of trials, community engagement, technical data, and modelling, we then produced two fully realised Master Plan options, listing recommended priority projects for community consultation through the Long Term Plan 2024.

Explore the Trials here