Car-free CBD idea for New Plymouth

A pre-Christmas parade closure of New Plymouth’s CBD has resurrected interest in closing part of the main street to traffic.

For more than 20 years the section of Devon St between Brougham and Currie streets was closed to vehicles as a pedestrian mall.

It was popular with shoppers but less so with retailers who complained the lack of car parking hurt their bottom line. The street reopened to traffic in 1997.

In a written response to questions, New Plymouth District Council customer and regulatory solutions manager Katrina Brunton said they had received positive comments from people who enjoyed the sense of space and had a lot of fun when the street was temporarily closed last weekend.

‘‘We need to keep our CBD humming and events like this highlight what a vibrant place it is. There was a really good vibe and sense of community.’’

It was too early to tell what closing the CBD to traffic would involve but the council would be talking to the community about it, she said.

‘‘It was one of several ideas to keep our city centre vibrant discussed at the CBD 2050 Forum but it’s early days.’’

‘‘Once we work through that feedback, we’ll firm up our plans for the future. It could involve more grass and less asphalt.’’

International case studies showed making CBDs for pedestrian use only could help revitalise them.

‘‘NPDC is focused on continuing to pull people into the CBD and keep the tills ringing for businesses there. We don’t see why it couldn’t work in New Plymouth but we want that feedback before we start planning.’’

Councillor Shaun Biesiek, who is spearheading the CBD 2050 Forum, said it was a good discussion to have but there would be things to work through, such as car parking and making sure the building and business owners were on board.

‘‘Personally, I think it would be good but you still need to have some form of transport.

‘‘If we did Devon St no cars but if we had an electric bus or trolley going up and down constantly that people could hop on and hop off as they went, that would be one way of doing it.

‘‘We need to change that New Zealand culture of ‘I can’t park outside the shop, I can’t go in it’.’’

The future of the CBD may also involve more shared spaces, such as the one outside Puke Ariki, he said. ‘‘It will evolve. I don’t think it will be something that council will just make a decision.

‘‘We would need to have reason for people to be there and that is beyond just shops.’’

South Taranaki Neighbourhood Support co-ordinator Wendy Foreman with Luke Ryan-Henderson, left, and Andrew Cotter, who both received national awards for their work with the organisation.