Council cements programme to get the central city thriving
Council cements programme to get the central city thriving
19 September
2019
The key moves planned to
transform central Nelson have been endorsed by Council
through the adoption of the City Centre Programme Plan
(CCPP).
The Long Term Plan 2018-28 (LTP) makes the City
Centre one of the Council’s top four priorities to support
the Council’s vision of a Smart Little City. The Plan
brings life to that goal by setting out some tangible steps
to help us achieve that.
The CCPP will:
• Provide
Council with a clear position to direct and achieve the best
outcomes for the City Centre.
• Help guide/leverage
private development proposals.
• Align key
infrastructure, open space and transport policy for the
Nelson City Centre.
It has been developed over the past
six months through numerous meetings and workshops, a review
of previous strategic work, analysis of public feedback to
the LTP and discussions with City Centre
stakeholders.
Mayor Rachel Reese says “The high level of
involvement and enthusiasm we’ve had from those involved
in the process so far indicates that Council isn’t alone
in wanting to see our central city flourish. I want to thank
all those involved and look forward to building on those
partnerships.”
The focus of the CCPP is around Six
Key Moves, which were first presented to the community
as part of the Annual Plan consultation process. They were
met with widespread support, with over 85% of the public
submissions in favour of this approach.
They are:
Destination Nelson - recognises that Nelson City Centre is already a major destination for the Nelson and Tasman Regions and Top of The South. The City Centre attracts 3-4 major events of greater than 20,000 attendees each year to celebrate our creative culture, unique heritage and sunny climate.
Walkable Nelson - realises the compact form of Nelson’s City Centre and supports walkable choices and prioritises that through the development of people-focused laneway circuits.
Blue-Green Heart - supports the delivery of small social open spaces in the City Centre for social pause, meeting, play, picnics, and events.
Smart Development - actively works alongside property development interests in the City Centre and Fringe to align the Smart Little City vision.
Liveable Centre - recognises
current global and New Zealand trends indicating an
increased desire to live in safe, high-quality city centre
environments with good hospitality offerings, shopping, arts
and culture, entertainment, markets and events.
Clever Business - enhances Nelson City Centre’s ‘boutique urban vibe’ as its unique point of difference- a place where our distinct heritage and culture are key features that attract local, artisan and independent shops and businesses to succeed.
What happens next?
Now the
CCPP has been adopted, a body of work will
follow:
• Spatial Plan Refresh for the City Centre will
be carried out to consider the place and space opportunities
available.
• The City Centre Delivery Plan will be
developed that includes a prioritisation of projects across
the City Centre and Fringe areas. This will be reviewed with
each Annual Plan.
• A cross Council ‘virtual’ Team
will be established to recognise opportunities to progress
the Programme.
• Continued relationship building with
external City Centre stakeholders (Nelson community, City
Centre Focus Group, Uniquely Nelson, Nelson Regional
Development Agency, other key stakeholders).
• Business
cases will be developed for specific capital
projects.
The full City Centre Programme Plan will soon
be available on the Council website for those who want to
read more about
it.
ENDS