Invercargill CBD rebuild critics will send recommendation to council

Sunday, 1 December 2019

Bob Simpson, speaking at public forum to discuss the Invercargill inner-city development of the block in the CBD.

Critics of the Invercargill CBD redevelopment will send a recommendation to the Invercargill City Council asking it to engage with urban planners into the rebuild project with a focus on heritage values.

The public forum held yesterday was presented by outspoken architect Bob Simpson and Heritage New Zealand advocate Christine Henderson.

Members of the public attend a public forum to discuss the Invercargill inner-city development of the block in the CBD.

Simpson said he was not opposed to the revitalisation of the CBD but the changes being proposed were too dramatic and expansive.

HWCP Management Ltd - the company behind the development - has acquired almost an entire city-centre block with plans to demolish and develop it into a retail mall, student apartments, and a medical centre.

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Last month, Geoff Thomson resigned as director of HWCP, reducing finances into the investment by $21 million.

At an extraordinary council meeting after Thomson's resignation a resolution was made that council would work with the remaining investors to ensure there would be sufficient funding to move the project forward.

At the time, council chief executive Clare Hadley said 'councillors have also acknowledged that we will need to consult with our community should any further investment by council be proposed.'

Attendees to the forum raised concerns that demolition of heritage buildings was a done deal and ratepayers had no say on the matter as HW Richardson Group had the majority of shares into the investment.

However, Simpson was not convinced that the demolition would go ahead by January.

Simpson proposed adaptive reuse of buildings and used Classic Motorcycle Mecca as example that maintains a buildings heritage value.

Henderson said she had noticed tourists were in awe of the number of heritage and art deco buildings in Invercargill.

Because of the prominence of online shopping, what attracted people to physical retail was a visitor experience and malls were a dying trend that was unfavourable by millennials, she said.

The focus on the redevelopment should be away from retail and focus on community space such as museums and art galleries that are currently looking for spaces, Simpson added.

The group decided on a recommendation stating 'we recommend the Invercargill City Council to engage with urban planners to take fresh look at the block revitalisation project, retention of heritage values is important.'

After the meeting, HWCP director Scott O'Donnell, who did not attend, said the majority of resource consents for the demolition had gone through.

The last of the resource consents were expected to be completed this week and demolition would go ahead into the New Year , O'Donnell said.

O'Donnell was happy to consult with the group but that did not mean HWCP were planning on stopping work, he said.