The Southland Times

Follow the yellow brick road

Is it possible that Tay St could become the new golden mile in the city? Could it kick-start an entire CBD revival? report.

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Invercargi­ll is a city that needs a heart. A place to attract people, and let’s be honest a way of pulling in shoppers to help inner-city retailers.

Is it possible with the new plans for Tay St, it just may be reinvented as the new kid on the block?

In December last year the HW Richardson Group bought four Tay St properties, saying they had no plans for them except for a coat of paint.

Less than a year later, the group is near completion of a large-scale motorcycle museum, the Classic Motorcycle Mecca, and cafe which could attract hundreds to Invercargi­ll.

HWR property arm director Scott O’Donnell said he believed Tay St had always been the centre of town.

‘‘It’s an area I quite liked as a child, and it’s fallen in to disrepair.’’

As a child O’Donnell said he enjoyed Tay St because it was sunfacing and vibrant.

This changed when major retailers moved to Leven St.

The city has struggled for years with the placement of big box retailers, and in turn the shoppers they attract seemingly stretching the city in different directions with no hub.

The cost and planning difficulti­es of doing up heritage buildings have created a paralysis in which once-handsome structures have fallen into decades of decay.

O’Donnell said when he and wife Jocelyn returned to Invercargi­ll 20 years ago, they were both depressed by how the city looked.

‘‘Invercargi­ll shouldn’t look as poor as it looks,’’ he said.

‘‘We need to get arts, shopping and culture back in to the CBD.’’

Three things were needed to reignite the CBD — the proposed ILT hotel, the motorcycle museum and the new public art gallery, O’Donnell said.

The key for Invercargi­ll was to ‘‘stop procrastin­ating’’ and make a move. ‘‘We just need to get on with it.’’ The Invercargi­ll City Council revealed a $1.4 million upgrade of Esk St last year but for Tay St to be totally redevelope­d it would require approval from the NZ Transport Agency, as Tay St is a state highway.

Last year the central business district was the emptiest it had been for more than a decade with more than 40 shops and offices awaiting tenants, and strengthen­ed building codes throwing out another anchor.

A CBD upgrade (1999-2002) with its pedestrian-friendly ethos, and motorist-irritating embellishm­ents, was on balance well-enough received. Giant candlestic­ks arose from the corner of Dee and Esk, many streets became curvier, and the phrase ‘‘stylish bollards’’ became a catchcry.

But if not too little or too late, it was certainly too little too long ago. And where did that leave Tay St exactly?

Wensley’s Cycles owner Rob McMurdo said the business had been in Tay St for 1945, and with continuing customer support, was here to stay.

It was a destinatio­n store and would continue indefinite­ly, despite the challenge of online shopping, he said.

‘‘There’s still room for a brick and mortar relationsh­ip with people, over the internet . . . it’s honesty and integrity that mean the most.’’

However, McMurdo said he had seen many other new businesses come and go from Tay St during the years.

He believed declining foot traffic in the city would affect new businesses the most.

‘‘A healthy city needs new business and new faces, and if the city doesn’t encourage it or help them along the way, the town’s declining.’’ Invercargi­ll was not dying, but it was not thriving, he said.

‘‘No one wants to see a town dying and dead areas in town, and I want to see the council doing something about it.’’

He believed Tay St should have been upgraded along with Esk St, as Tay was the main entrancewa­y to the city.

‘‘You come in to Invercargi­ll and it’s embarrassi­ng. It’s dirty and it’s getting down-trodden.

‘‘I’m proud of Invercargi­ll and it’s a great place to live, but it’s not perfect . . . we need to improve.’’

Zookeepers Cafe has been a stalwart Tay St business for 24 years, and owner Paul Clark had seen many businesses come and go.

Tay St was the city’s ‘‘saving grace’’ as an entrancewa­y for tourists, he said.

‘‘The tourists usually know it as the entrancewa­y to town. It’s our saving grace really as far as tourists go.’’

‘‘I’ve seen cafes come and go, and there used to be a pizza place over the road . . . I just feel we’re going to have to do other things.

‘‘I feel we could bring down some buildings or create a green space.’’

If the people, the Invercargi­ll Licensing Trust and the City Council played their part Tay St would improve, Clark said.

A new building would bring life to Tay St, he said.

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