Users of the unformed car parking area on the corner of O’Rourke Place and Pyne Street in Whakatāne will need to find an alternative for the next month while a new car park is constructed.

Access to the area will be closed off from 6 pm on Monday, 26 January, and the Whakatāne District Council expects that the work required to construct and landscape a new, 108-space car park on the site will take till the end of February.

The work involves changes to the existing road layout in O’Rourke Place and the creation of a more ‘pedestrian-friendly’ environment. The current parallel parking on the section of Pyne Street adjacent to the car park will also be replaced with angle parks.

The $321,000 construction project will be undertaken by local company Tracks Concrete Limited.

The Council apologises for any inconvenience caused to motorists during the construction period.