Bridge to Better – revitalising Nelson’s city centre

When it comes to Nelson’s city centre, what does ‘better’ look like for you?

An extended programme of community engagement gets underway today (22 September 2023) for a major infrastructure project in the Inner City that will provide capacity for hundreds of city centre homes, build the resilience of Nelson’s three waters infrastructure, and revitalise Bridge Street.

Supported by $36.4M of funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Acceleration Fund, the Bridge to Better project has $32M funding from Nelson City Council already budgeted in the 2021-31 Long Term Plan. Council may need to consider bringing forward and refining existing budgets in the Long Term Plan 2024-34 to progress the work and to consider increased construction costs of up to $12 million.  

Bridge to Better will involve:

• Construction of a water supply ring main along Bridge Street, Rutherford Street, Halifax Street and Collingwood Street.
• A new stormwater main along Bridge Street and Haven Road, associated green infrastructure to increase stormwater capacity, and a new flood gate at Saltwater Creek, which will reduce the impact of king tides at Wakatu carpark.
• A wastewater pump station upgrade on Paru Paru Road and renewal/upgrade of Rutherford Street, Achilles Avenue and Bridge Street wastewater infrastructure.
• Transformation of Bridge Street and Haven Road into a people-focused corridor, with more green places, more places to socialise, a more sustainable commercial environment and more transport choices.

“This project involves huge investment in our central city infrastructure to reduce the flooding of Wakatu Square Carpark during high tides and upgrade our water and sewerage networks to enable new multi-storey residential and commercial developments,” says Nelson Mayor Nick Smith.
 
“This underground work also offers an opportunity to redesign the Bridge Street corridor. I want the Council and consultants working closely on the design with retailers and property owners so as to manage the disruption during construction and deliver a revitalised space for the city’s future.”
 

Urban design experts Boffa Miskell have been awarded the contract following a competitive tender process to lead the project design from the initial concept to the final stages alongside their consortium team comprising of engineering consultants Beca and transport design company Abley.

Bridge to Better is the first project to come out of Te Ara ō Whakatū, Nelson’s widely supported city centre spatial plan, and Council will be engaging with the community over the next year to develop a design for the project that will positively transform key areas of Nelson’s city centre, says Group Manager Infrastructure Alec Louverdis.

“Feedback to Te Ara ō Whakatū showed a strong desire for more people-focused places in our city centre. This project meets every goal in that strategy, so it’s an exciting place to start.

“Primarily, this is about more people spending more time in our city centre by increasing the number of people who live there and creating places that are a lot nicer to spend time in. More city centre residents will mean livelier streets throughout the week, which will also bring about many new business opportunities. It will also positively affect emissions as people are provided more transport choices, including making walking easier.

“We know change like this can be hard, and we want to take the right amount of time to have conversations with our community about what they want to see in their city centre. What are the values that we all share that can be reflected in this project? It can sometimes seem as if views are polarised, but if our experience during the creation of Te Ara ō Whakatū is anything to go by, people often find they have shared values once they get together and speak face to face.”

Looking after our retailers

Retail specialist Chris Wilkinson from First Retail Group will look after Bridge Street retailers throughout this phase of the project.

“Council have been clear that they want to work closely with retailers, businesses and property owners on Bridge Street so they can minimise disruption once construction starts,” says Chris.

“Perhaps more importantly though, there is a positive story to tell here about how this work will bring new life to one of Nelson’s most characterful streets.

“We’re in place to nurture a good relationship between Council and Bridge Street businesses ensuring they are prepared for change and that all can benefit once work is complete. First Retail Group Ltd has worked on many successful projects at the same scale including the city centre upgrade in Queenstown, the Lower Hutt Riverlink project, and many similar projects overseas.

“We’re seeing a significant shift towards these types of spaces in areas with similar climates and audiences that Nelson enjoys.”

What’s happening next?

The first phase of engagement lasts from 22 September to the end of February. During the first few months of this phase, the engagement team will be hosting meetings for a wide variety of stakeholder groups. From retailers, older adults, and youth representatives right through to civic institutions such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Suter Gallery, we will be out in the community talking about the Bridge Street project and collating people’s values and ideas.
 
“We will then mix those groups together,” says Alec, “which gives people the opportunity to look at the project from another person’s perspective. We’ve found that people can often find common ground this way.”
 
All this early feedback will be considered by Boffa Miskell as they work on the concept design, which is due for completion early 2024. Once the design is in place, Council will hold a four-to-six-week period of engagement where anyone can provide feedback.
 
Everything people will need to know will be hosted at shape.nelson.govt.nz/bridge-better, which is also where the public can give feedback.
 
“We know not everyone wants to engage with the project via the website,” says Alec. “So, look out for plenty of stories in local media and a dedicated issue of Our Nelson in your letterbox, on top of the opportunities to speak with the team face-to-face.”