Consent hearing for CBD upgrade this month
Monday, 4 March 2019
A resource consent hearing to determine if a large chunk of the Invercargill CBD can be demolished and redeveloped into a massive shopping mall will begin on March 25.
Invercargill City Council planning manager Terence Boylan said the hearing would be in the council chamber and cover both the demolition and redevelopment.
The application is being heard by three independent hearings commissioners – chairman John Maassen, Jane Black and Gina Sweetman.
Twenty four submitters have indicated they wish to speak at the hearing.
HWCP Management Limited director Scott O'Donnell said the 'key thing' was to get resource consent so progress could be made on the project.
Among those who expressed concerns about the redevelopment in the submission stage were H&J Smith and Heritage New Zealand, with O'Donnell saying they were working through the issues ahead of the hearing and 'trying to find something that makes sense'.
READ MORE:
* Invercargill CBD mall resource consent application made public
*** Closure only option for some CBD businesses as relocation proves difficult
* 'Tough few years' ahead for north Esk St retailers**
He was hopeful consent would be granted some time in April, with the demolition of 30 buildings in the block to start after that.
Once demolition was complete the plan is to redevelop the block, bordered be Esk, Dee, Tay and Kelvin streets, into a range of food and dining outlets and outdoor dining spaces, retail and boutique shops, a large anchor retailer, office space, apartments, a medical centre, civic facilities and a multi-level carpark.
The entire project may take up to five years.
'The concept is going to cost between $160m and $190m for the bits HWCP is going to build, that doesn't include HWR corner [building] and medical centre,' O'Donnell said.
He believed bank borrowing would cover half the costs [about $80m] and the other half would be funded with equity.
O'Donnell said funding partners would include HWR, Community Trust South, Geoff Thomson, the Invercargill City Council and the Government's Provincial Growth Fund, which has already committed $1m.
HWCP was talking to the Provincial Growth Fund about committing more funding as a shareholder, or lending money, or both, he said.
HWCP Management Ltd consists of two main players - privately owned transport and investment company HW Richardson Group and the Invercargill City Council.