Six properties named and shamed for blocking New Brighton’s revitalisation

Thursday, 21 May 2026

Six New Brighton properties have been named and shamed for holding back the seaside suburb’s development.

The Christchurch City Council released a list of sites considered a barrier to progress on Wednesday in a bid to prompt action by the owners.

The sites are:

• The former SaveMart building at 52 Brighton Mall

• 81 Brighton Mall

• 110-114 Seaview Rd

• 96 Brighton Mall

• 101 Brighton Mall

• The Hawke St car park

The former SaveMart building has been empty since about 2013 and is considered to be the sole hold-up to a council project to extend Oram Ave, which would create a new north-south corridor through the mall.

A similar list of central Christchurch sites, dubbed the “Dirty 30”, was published in 2017 and now just one property remains - the former Blue Jean Cuisine site at 205 Manchester St.

Council case management and relationships team leader Jo Anderson said several privately-owned properties in New Brighton remained vacant or underused and, in places, appeared untidy or in need of improvement.

Those sites discouraged investment and development and could influence how people felt about the area. In some cases they affected access to nearby roads or footpaths, Anderson said.

The council wanted the sites improved to create a more welcoming environment for residents and visitors and create a greater sense of safety, especially after dark.

It has already started engaging directly with the landowners and planned to partner with them to offer advisory and brokering support.

The list does not include sites where consent applications have been lodged, plans are in progress, or owners have contacted the council to discuss their plans for the site.

New Brighton has struggled to gain traction since the 2010/11 earthquakes. A lot of progress has been made since then with private and public investment coming into the area.

Anderson said New Brighton was a high priority for the council, with several significant projects planned or already under way, including a $4.2 million upgrade of the mall, the extension of the City to Sea Pathway and the replacement of the Pages Rd bridge.

Coastal ward councillor Celeste Donovan said the list was about keeping a spotlight on the sites.

If the owners continued not to engage with the council, Donovan said she hoped enforcement action would follow because they had already had enough time to develop the properties.

It had been difficult to get any action on the Hawke St car park because it was owned by multiple people, she said.

Esther Perriam, chairperson of Tide, New Brighton’s business association, said the list was a positive step towards highlighting the problem.

The sites made it hard for the business community to thrive, she said.

The community could take reassurance from the fact that if sites were not named on the list then it was because there was already a plan in place.

Perriam said she was happy with the council’s approach, which brought transparency.

Late last year, a city council spokesperson said there had been repeated attempts to reach an agreement with the owner over the SaveMart property with discussions at various times since 2020. The council bought the adjacent properties — 54 and 56 Brighton Mall — in 2021 for $585,000 to support the Oram Ave extension.