City Block West

Invercargill City Council is consulting on the next phase of revitalisation for He Ngākau Aroha - Our City with Heart.

We are seeking your feedback on 3 components that are key to progressing further on our journey to a vibrant city centre:

RESTRUCTURING THE FINANCE FOR CITY BLOCK KĀ WHIRIKA - WHAKAHOUHOUTIA TE PŪTEA KI TE ROHEKA TĀONE

The City Block project was developed, supported by Council investment in the surrounding city streets. Initial studies show significant social and economic benefits for the city have been realised over the first year of operation.

Following consultation in 2019, Council made the decision to be an investment partner in the redevelopment of the CBD and in 2022 Council agreed to bring the total Council investment up to $70.74M to support the first three stages of the six-stage development, this was made up of $48.2M Total Investment and $22.75M short term loan.

In late 2022 these arrangements were adjusted slightly to increase the short-term loan portion to $31.45M. ICHL has purchased $43.2M shares in Invercargill Central Ltd (ICL). This was funded by Council’s initial investment of $25M in 2019, and a further $15.5M agreed in 2020.

The balance was provided by ICHL in its own right as part of transactions outside the scope of the Council investment.

The final funds needed to complete the project were to be provided by a commercial bank subject to commercial terms. Unfortunately, interest rates are no longer favourable for this option, and this, combined with the change in the value of the asset and changed priorities of Council’s development partner, the O’Donnell family, means that financial restructuring is necessary. Council proposes 2 options:

OPTION 1: $10M Share purchase and $8.55M increase in loan. This is Council’s preferred option; more information can be found here.

OPTION 2: $20M share purchase + No increase in loan. More information can be found here.

CITY STREETS UPGRADE – ESK ST WEST/WACHNER PLACE KĀ WHIRIKA – WHAKAHOUTAKA TIRITI - TE HAUĀURU O TE TIRITI O ESK

The next phase Council has prioritised in our city streets project is proposed changes to Wachner Place and Esk Street West. The intention behind our proposal is to improve connections between one of the new developments, The Distinction Hotel and the city centre. When considering the needs of the developer, our community and the values we have identified for our city in our Long Term Planning, we took into consideration the recent shift in community spaces within the heart of our city through the recent Esk and Don Street revitalisation, the history of Wachner Place, and its previous use as a social gathering space for the community and also future play opportunities.

Council are proposing 3 options for this redevelopment. Council notes that some Councillors had differing opinions on the preferred option reflecting the different benefits and opportunities available. Your feedback is an important factor to help them make their decision.

OPTION 1: Through Wachner Place - One way for tour buses. This is Council’s preferred option; you can view this option here.

OPTION 2: People first Esk Connection to City Centre with bus access from Leven St, you can view this option here.

OPTION 3: Hybrid public realm, with Tour bus access to rear of Hotel, you can view this option here.

CCTV AROTURUKI Ā-ATA TŪMATAWHĀITI

Council is developing a new CCTV Policy. This policy is intended to cover things like where new cameras can be located, how we will make sure the public is aware of them, and how we will keep the footage secure.

This policy will support a $1M investment being made to improve security by providing enhanced CCTV coverage. This will be initially focused on the city centre; however, Council has also identified other areas in the district that require upgrades.

These maps show existing CCTV locations in the city centre, as well as proposed future locations which were developed with input from police and other stakeholders. The proposed locations are subject to change based on technical requirements.

Our Draft CCTV policy is available here.

Let us know what you think about our proposed ICL investment, Esk St West / Wachner Place redevelopment and our CCTV policy using the submission form below.

The consultation period closes at 4 pm on Saturday 14^th October