Revised Bridge St plan
A revised plan for the Bridge St revitalisation project has been released, and the council wants to hear what the public thinks of it.
Bridge to Better runs the length of the street, from Rutherford St to Collingwood St, adding more than 100 trees and making it narrower and kerbless.
It will also make some laneways – the entrances into Montgomery and Buxton Square carparks – one way.
Changes to the original plan include two more carparks near Red Gallery, a cycleway along Haven Rd towards Anzac Park, and giving consideration to changing parking limits to one hour to keep vehicle turnover ticking along.
City Centre Revitalisation Taskforce chair Rohan O’Neill-Stevens said what made the design special was how every element had been given meaning, from the paving to the drinking fountains.
The council is exploring options to complete early works ahead of the busy Christmas period, although exact timing is yet to be confirmed.
O’Neill-Stevens said the last real facelift of the city was in the 1990s, and that the design elements included had been shaped with cost in mind.
“Actually investing and making the city centre a place that people want to spend time [in] returns dividends, both for our local economy, but also for the wellbeing of residents. We deserve a city centre that we can be proud of.”
The street currently has 87 parks, but in the revised plan, it’s set to lose 44 spaces. Haven Rd will also have its parking reduced from 10 spots down to 4.
However, the planned Paru Paru Rd carpark will have 78 new parks.
The street’s flora will also undergo transformation. Currently home to 28 trees, under the current design 18 will be scheduled to be removed, and over 100 planted.
O’Neill-Stevens said the council had “really constructive engagement” with retailers and business owners on the stretch.
While the street would remain two-directional, it could be transitioned into a one way street in future depending on what happened with future Hardy St upgrades, he said.
O’Neill-Stevens said the retail sector had shifted and changed, particularly with the rise of online shopping.
“What city centres globally are going through is a shift towards experience and in making city centres destinations in their own right,” he said.
“And everyone benefits when we do that.”
The revised design also incorporates more detail in layout, materials and cultural expression, created through a co-design process with iwi and engagement with local businesses, property owners and other stakeholders.
It’s guided by the concept of tai timu, tai pari, the ebb and flow of the tides, a narrative gifted by Te Tauihu’s eight iwi – a theme reflected in a paving pattern symbolising waterways.
O’Neill-Stevens said what made the design special was how every element had been given meaning, from the paving to the drinking fountains.
Group manager infrastructure Alec Louverdis said this stage of design included a range of changes shaped by community feedback, and the amendments made reflected a “genuine attempt” to respond to what the council had heard.
The Bridge to Better project includes major upgrades to underground infrastructure beyond Bridge Street – including new water, stormwater and wastewater reticulation to enable inner city apartment developments in the area, as well as reducing the flooding of Wakatu Square car park during king tides.
It has a budget of $78 million, with $36.4 million coming from the Government’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund.
By Warren Gamble, Nelson Mail
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