Nelson City Centre looking to bright future

Now that the City Centre Programme Plan has been adopted, and Upper Trafalgar Street is a permanent pedestrian mall, Council is looking ahead to a brighter city centre for everyone.

In Upper Trafalgar Street we have removed the white parking lines and parking bollards, installed planter boxes and overhead festoon lights. And we’re working with business owners to develop outdoor dining areas. We’ll have public areas as well where people can sit and enjoy the vibe.

We’ve developed a two stage ‘light touch’ plan to refurbish the area over the 2019-2020 summer,  while we develop a longer term plan to make the most of this amazing space.

The first stage of the ‘light touch’ plan has been designed to make the space more useable during pre-planned events such as the Nelson Arts Festival, New Year’s Eve and Summer Buskers. This stage has been designed to give the area a festive, relaxed air, without disturbing the existing layout too much. There are drop off points and mobility parking spaces nearby to allow easy access, and we’ve made the most of existing trees and other features.
 
Stage two will roll out in January 2020 after the buskers have had their last laugh. This will see the development of a ‘entertainer zone’ at the north end of the area, with relaxed seating – functioning as a ‘spill out zone’ for youth and families, lunchtime picnickers and groups attending events at the museum. We’ll add the ‘1903 Lounge’ in the 1903 Square with grass carpet, comfy seats and furnishings – a kind of funky kiwi villa vibe to make you feel right at home.

The long term plan for the space will get underway later in the year, to create a resilient space that focuses on making people the centre of our Smart Little City.