Preliminary designs for street makeover
Preliminary designs have been revealed for stage one of Invercargill’s city centre make-over, but the next stage is going to take some additional money to get it across the line.
The first stage of the council’s streetscape work will see an upgrade to both Esk St and Don St.
Esk St is being eyed as the ‘‘social heart of the city’’ and Don St the ‘‘entertainment street’’.
The work is being done in conjunction with both the Invercargill Central city block and ILT Hotel developments.
A key purpose of the project was to try to encourage more pedestrian traffic throughout the city centre rather than people simply parking outside the ship they want to go to.
Garden areas will be introduced in Esk St, as well as wooden seating.
Car parks in Esk St will be reduced from 27 to 15, while an open space area outside the main entrance to the Invercargill Central development will be included and used for different events.
Given the push for a more pedestrian-friendly Esk St Stuff asked council roading manager Russell Pearson if shutting off the street to vehicles altogether was looked at as an option.
‘‘That’s been a conversation that’s been around for probably 30 years. I guess that’s the ultimate goal isn’t it, but at the moment having access through there is still pretty key.
‘‘If it [Esk St] is used for what it is intended for, so it’s a place to drop off or do something short-term, it will actually work really well because it will be a street for people,’’ Pearson said.
The work will start at Don St outside the new Langlands Hotel before moving to Esk St.
Don St will be a two-way street and the Umbrella, which was installed in 2000 to commemorate the people of Invercargill at the time of the millennium, will be removed.
A decision has yet to be made as to where it will be moved to but council’s infrastructure group manager Erin Moogan indicated somewhere in Queens Park was viewed as the best option. The council had set aside $20.8m for both stages of the streetscape work, however, it is now projected to cost $28m to carry out all the work.
The plan is for the Esk St and Don St work to go ahead at a budget of $17m. Consideration would be needed if either additional funding is provided to complete the Kelvin St and Tay St work as part of the project.
Moogan said the project was exciting for the city but acknowledged the construction phase will be disruptive to retailers, businesses and visitors.
‘‘We’re keen to keep talking with businesses and the community, and we’ll be inviting them to an information session about the design later in May.’’