A Pukehina man, who has labelled the Te Puke Plaza refurbishment a waste of money, has also called for the reinstatement of car parking spaces in the location.

Richard Howard was in Te Puke CBD last month and has written to Te Puke News saying the area was an eye sore and the seats look cheap and nasty.

He states the “round unit” (deck) is of no use for anything, the wrong height for anyone to sit on and looks cheap.

He claims there should be parking spaces outside the pharmacy, which is the business he wanted to visit, saying an area outside a pharmacy should have parking as people going there are usually sick or injured in some way.

Howard said he has a “bad hip”, there was no parking on the main road and, in the parking area behind the pharmacy, there were two cars taking up four spaces, forcing him to park in the New World car park on the opposite side of Commerce Lane.

He also states that the town centre is “a traffic jam” following the town centre upgrade that took place a decade ago.

He said that between 3pm and 5pm there is a queue stretching 3km to the east as well as queueing traffic to the west.

In a written response, Western Bay of Plenty District Council’s director, transportation, Calum McLean, said the plaza refurbishment, completed in August, was delivered in partnership with the Te Puke Community Board to help revitalise the town centre and create a more welcoming community space.

“Future artworks are also planned, with the support of local iwi — Tapuika and Waitaha,” he said

“These will be developed to reflect a shared vision, upholding the identity, values, and histories of mana whenua through appropriate kōrero and artistic elements within the space.

“We value all community feedback and will continue to monitor the plaza’s use to ensure it meets the needs of Te Puke now and into the future.”

McLean acknowledged that not everyone would agree with the changes, but said the design was shaped by the Community Board and urban design principles, with the aim of supporting both local businesses and the wider community.

“No parking spaces were removed to facilitate the refurbishment. Parking spaces remain available on Jellicoe Street, Commerce Lane and the Commerce Lane car park.

He said traffic build-up on Jellicoe Street and Te Puke Highway is a recognised challenge with Te Puke’s rapid growth.

“While there is no quick fix, council is striving to address these issues through the Te Puke Spatial Plan,” he said.