Market hall among revitalisation ideas for city centre
A covered marketplace was among several ideas proposed for Nelson CBD at a summit aimed at revitalising the city centre.
The suggestion came out of the Make/ Shift Spaces What If Whakatū Nelson project, a recent series of community-led talks about how to make the CBD more vibrant, supported by Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects.
Chair of the institute’s local branch, William Samuels, told this week’s city council-arranged summit that Nelson’s Saturday market was a model to be proud of, that supported local producers.
But it was hard for those businesses to extend beyond that, into CBD retail spaces, he said.
“There’s fewer small businesses in Nelson, artisans working in the central city. Instead we have vape stores and mobile phone repair stores.”
A market hall could act as an “incubator” for local producers, he said.
“What if we had a market hall, a space that could be open all through the week.”
It could be under cover, like the Queen Victoria market space in Melbourne – either in a new building or a repurposed one, with many vacant retail spaces in Nelson that could be used, he said.
Riverside Market in Christchurch was another potential model to follow.
Or it could be in an open space, along the lines of Prague’s Manifesto Market; a gastro and cultural market on a former wasteland.
Such a development would bring vibrancy into Nelson’s retail space, providing offerings unique to the city, Samuels said.
A youth hub in the CBD was also a popular suggestion, he said.
Nelson’s former youth hub was in a “really vibrant part of town”, but the site on New St was now a council car park, he said.
Converting a retail space in the city centre into a youth hub would help harness the energy young people could bring, he said.
Introducing public attractions at Port Nelson would also add vibrancy to the city, he said.
Retail developments, or interactive industry spaces were among suggestions.
Also suggsted was a fresh fish market, like Auckland’s, which drew many people to that part of town.
“We have the largest fishing port in Australasia, you wouldn’t know it.
“You go to Kaikoura for crayfish, you go to Havelock for mussels, and we have such a magnificent seafood industry in Nelson, but we don’t have anything that we’re famous for, we don’t have a regional dish.”
There were vacant areas around the port that could be developed, bringing significant commercial benefits to businesses, he said.
There were also many submissions for spaces that were pleasant to occupy, including pop up parks and green walks.
“The next thing is where does the funding come from,” Samuels said.
While it was currently “really tricky” to make development projects viable amid high costs, projects could be done “a little bit at a time”, he said.
“I think we’re in a real problem if we have to rely on council all the time for our funding. The funding for these things needs to come from community, it needs to come from local business and other funding sources.”
The Nelson bike hub was “a great example” of a project that could succeed with community backing, he said.
The ideas were “a snapshot” of the Make/Shift proposals that working groups were now looking at, with about 300 ideas presented to the five-week-long What if initiative, which hosted 62 presenters at 29 talks.
There are “blue flashing lights” for the hospitality sector and constraints on construction, with some sectors feeling overlooked in development plans. But also many positive projects in the pipeline for the CBD, with a “world leading” blue economy ripe for further growth.