Council cements programme to get the central city thriving

19 September 2019
The key moves planned to transform central Nelson have been endorsed by Council through the adoption of the City Centre Programme Plan (CCPP).
The Long Term Plan 2018-28 (LTP) makes the City Centre one of the Council’s top four priorities to support the Council’s vision of a Smart Little City. The Plan brings life to that goal by setting out some tangible steps to help us achieve that.
The CCPP will:
• Provide Council with a clear position to direct and achieve the best outcomes for the City Centre.
• Help guide/leverage private development proposals.
• Align key infrastructure, open space and transport policy for the Nelson City Centre.
It has been developed over the past six months through numerous meetings and workshops, a review of previous strategic work, analysis of public feedback to the LTP and discussions with City Centre stakeholders.

Mayor Rachel Reese says “The high level of involvement and enthusiasm we’ve had from those involved in the process so far indicates that Council isn’t alone in wanting to see our central city flourish. I want to thank all those involved and look forward to building on those partnerships.”
The focus of the CCPP is around Six Key Moves, which were first presented to the community as part of the Annual Plan consultation process. They were met with widespread support, with over 85% of the public submissions in favour of this approach.

They are:

Destination Nelson - recognises that Nelson City Centre is already a major destination for the Nelson and Tasman Regions and Top of The South. The City Centre attracts 3-4 major events of greater than 20,000 attendees each year to celebrate our creative culture, unique heritage and sunny climate.

Walkable Nelson - realises the compact form of Nelson’s City Centre and supports walkable choices and prioritises that through the development of people-focused laneway circuits.

Blue-Green Heart - supports the delivery of small social open spaces in the City Centre for social pause, meeting, play, picnics, and events.

Smart Development - actively works alongside property development interests in the City Centre and Fringe to align the Smart Little City vision.

Liveable Centre - recognises current global and New Zealand trends indicating an increased desire to live in safe, high-quality city centre environments with good hospitality offerings, shopping, arts and culture, entertainment, markets and events.

Clever Business - enhances Nelson City Centre’s ‘boutique urban vibe’ as its unique point of difference- a place where our distinct heritage and culture are key features that attract local, artisan and independent shops and businesses to succeed.

What happens next?
Now the CCPP has been adopted, a body of work will follow:
• Spatial Plan Refresh for the City Centre will be carried out to consider the place and space opportunities available.
• The City Centre Delivery Plan will be developed that includes a prioritisation of projects across the City Centre and Fringe areas. This will be reviewed with each Annual Plan.
• A cross Council ‘virtual’ Team will be established to recognise opportunities to progress the Programme.
• Continued relationship building with external City Centre stakeholders (Nelson community, City Centre Focus Group, Uniquely Nelson, Nelson Regional Development Agency, other key stakeholders).
• Business cases will be developed for specific capital projects.
The full City Centre Programme Plan will soon be available on the Council website for those who want to read more about it.
ENDS

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