Stanton a CBD lodger no longer
Nelson shoppers have celebrated a new look central city without the presence of long-term protester Lewis Stanton.
Nelson woman Brenda Kenny said it was nice to see Trafalgar St in a tidier state and she would not miss Stanton’s presence outside the Farmers building.
‘‘I’d just seen it on Facebook and I wanted to come down to see for myself that it wasn’t a mirage – hallelujah, Hone’s left the building ... like Elvis.’’ she said.
Nelson’s City Amenity Bylaw came into effect on Monday, effectively bringing to an end Stanton’s two-year footpath protest outside Farmers.
In recent weeks Stanton had been joined by up to three others sleeping on the footpath. Their bedding and other possessions covered the whole frontage of the Farmers store, prompting building owner Gaire Thompson to dub the site ‘‘Camp Stanton.’’
The Nelson City Council said last week said it was in talks with Stanton about reaching a settlement before the bylaw took effect.
At the weekend, the familiar sight of sleeping bags and protest signs were replaced by several planter boxes containing ferns and shrubs.
Stanton said on Monday he did not wish to disclose his new location, but said discussions with the council were ‘‘a work in progress, both with positive minds.’’
Nelson City Council communications manager Paul Shattock said the planter boxes were a temporary measure to meet request from retailers in the area.
The current planters would be replaced when new ones were completed, he said.
One of the boxes bore the Ma¯ori phrase Toitu¯ te Whenua, which means ‘the land remains’.
Shattock said the phrase related specifically to the Nelson Nature programme for which the planters were originally constructed and was a reference to the organisation’s work in maintaining and preserving the land.
Most comments from pedestrians along Trafalgar St on Monday seemed to favour the change of scenery, and welcomed the end of Stanton’s footpath protest .
Others, like Nelson friends Christine Donaldson and Polly Phillips, offered a more measured reaction to the changes.
‘‘Everyone has their own opinions and he had his – I didn’t see anything wrong with that – but the plants look quite nice,’’ Donaldson said.
‘‘I had a few friends who’d come down and talk to him and they found him quite entertaining,’’ Phillips said.
In a social media post on Sunday, the council said it had been working with agencies and groups to support those homeless people that would be directly affected by the bylaw, including Stanton.
‘‘We have been able to help those that need it, so they have the opportunity to be safe in a better environment,’’ the post read.
‘‘Contrary to various reports, no one has been offered money to leave the central city. We are working to facilitate the support for those that are homeless, and not to just move this issue elsewhere.’’
Nelson mayor Rachel Reese said she was pleased with how the initial bylaw rollout had gone with ‘‘a lot of goodwill’’ shown by all parties.
She said the planter boxes, while a temporary installation, would be part of a wider effort to enhance Trafalgar St ahead of the spring and summer seasons.
However, Reese would not be drawn on Stanton’s whereabouts.
‘‘Just like every other citizen of Nelson, I respect his rights to privacy,’’ she said.