There has been a lot of interest in what the street will look like when the project is finished. Click through the tabs to discover more about what's coming. This page will be updated as we get more information.

There has been a lot of interest in what the street will look like when the project is finished - especially the trees. This section will explain why some trees have to be replaced, how the decisions were made, and what you can expect when it's done.

So trees are being chopped down?

Yes. Some trees on Queen Street will be removed and replaced so we can install the watermain.

Do they really have to go?

An expert arborist told us that the digging will disturb their roots so much that they're unlikely to survive. He also told us that several of the trees are coming to the end of their natural life. We've already had to remove three in the last year because they fell over or had branches snap out in storms.

But trees make town beautiful, shady and cool...

We agree! There will be lots of new plants and trees that are more appropriate for a town centre. Green by Nature say that Weeping Kōwhai, Southern Rātā, and Southern Magnolia do well in similar environments so we'll plant a mixture of those species.

Green by Nature are the parks contractor who look after all of our green spaces. They have an expert arborist on their team who has visited Masterton to look at our trees and make recommendations about which ones need to be replaced.

What makes the new trees a good choice?

There are lots of things to think about when you're choosing trees for a town centre.

• Leaves: At the moment the trees drop lots of leaves that block gutters and cause flooding in shops. The new species are evergreen or semi-deciduous, meaning they don't drop their leaves or only drop them for a short period when it gets colder.
• Roots: Tree roots lift footpaths and road surfaces creating tripping hazards. The roots also invade pipes and cause damage to our water infrastructure. The new trees will be planted with in pits that help them grow faster, and develop healthy root systems that don't cause damage. Learn more about tree pits
• Maintenance: The new trees won't grow as tall, smaller trees are easier and cheaper to take care of.

So when will the street look normal again?

The project runs until October and will happen in three stages. The first section is the block between Perry Street and Lincoln Road, this part will be completely finished in mid-May and will give you a good idea of how the rest of the street will look. The other two stages will run from May til October and all of the underground work will be done first. The finishing touches including the road surface and planting will be done in October because the worst of the winter will be over.

Street furniture is a term we use to mean anything that's fixed to the street above ground. That's stuff like:

• seats and benches
• street lights
• rubbish bins
• bollards
• bike racks
• signs

Good street furniture makes the place feel safe and comfortable for everyone.

During the planning for this project we looked at removing the existing seats, refurbishing them and putting them back. It turned out that this would cost almost the same as putting in new seats. The decision was made to get new ones that have backs, making them more comfortable for more people. The old seats won't go in the rubbish, they will be reused on the former town hall site instead.

Parking on the street won't change much. The main things to know are:

• There will be two fewer parks because the mobility parks will be made bigger so that they meet the modern standards.
• New parking meters will be installed that will accept card payments.

The video below was created by JFC to show how the road layout will look once the project is complete. You will notice it doesn't have detail like trees, planting, and some shop awnings because it was just created to show the road surface.