TwentyTwo’s MD, Dean Croucher, presented at Nelson City Council’s City Revitalisation Summit. Hosted by Mayor Hon Dr Nick Smith, the one-day event at Trafalgar Centre brought together local leaders across many sectors including local business, property, research and science, the arts and iwi, and some key central government stakeholders. The revitalisation theme links to Council’s overarching vision to “transform Nelson into a creative, prosperous and innovative city” – ‘the Smart Little City’ being their tagline.
The Summit included presentations and panel discussions across diverse themes such as the current economic context, how to make Nelson a great place to invest and for talent, knowledge and technology, and how the arts institutions (much of what Nelson is known for) can play a role in revitalisation. Here, Dean outlines the background and progress of the revitalisation so far and TwentyTwo’s involvement…
New library, community hub and civic centre
“I was invited to present the findings of an Indicative Business Case (IBC) developed in late 2023 that focused on revitalising Nelson’s city centre through civic investment. The IBC was concurrently released to participants and the public for their feedback.
The business case built on advice Council had commissioned in the past, but also took a fresh perspective on the challenges Council has faced for a number of years in deciding how to best renew existing assets, best meet communities aspirations and unlock some of its strategic goals – like revitalising the city. (An issue that seems to extend far beyond New Zealand according to this blog post by Gensler Research & Insights about its ‘Office-to-Everything’ approach in New York).
The business case sets out the case for investment in a new library, community hub and civic centre, either directly funded by Council through its normal Long Term Plan process or leased from the market.
Although no decisions have been taken or preferred solutions developed, the IBC sets out the need for change given the deteriorating condition and obsolescence of two key existing assets – Civic House (where Council staff, a service centre and Elected Members are based) and the Elma Turner Library (the main library in the city centre).
The IBC concludes that a new solution (either a single site or separate sites splitting the Library and Community Hub from the Civic Centre) not only best meets the forecast needs, but is likely to best support the revitalisation of the city centre, one of the key investment objectives of any investment by Council.
A new solution also allows the two existing assets to be repurposed, either by Council or a third party if disposed, further enhancing central city redevelopment. This may allow Civic House to be repurposed for residential use as previously considered, with increased residential activity in the city centre seen by many at the forum as critical to improve vibrancy.
Council will now further consider the recommendations from the IBC and seek formal public feedback in due course.”
Civic investment driving change
“The presentation highlighted that Nelson is not alone in needing to consider this type of investment.
The renewal and rejuvenation of CBD’s across the country is a strategic priority for many Councils – and the decline of the traditional town centre (with competition from large format retail sites on the periphery of town centres) is not unique to Nelson, with many communities grappling with similar challenges.
While on the surface local city centres across the country may look vibrant – particularly over summer with the influx of local and international tourists – often, if you look a bit deeper, there are signs of economic hardship and declining vibrancy. Our capital is a prime example at present. Even the large investment we’ve seen to streetscapes in many towns doesn’t solve the underlying issues.
While I noted in my presentation that Nelson currently looks much healthier than it often has in the past (with fewer retail vacancies), often this can mask the underlying economic viability of many business, particularly local retail owned stores.
In most communities, if you walk further down the main street and certainly down many of the side streets, there are signs of a lack of both public and private sector investment. As the current economic situation tightens, these areas often the first to show signs of decay.
In response, we are seeing many local authorities using the investment in community and civic facilities as a catalyst for wider investment and urban renewal. A commitment by the local community to invest in facilities like new community hubs, art galleries, museums, libraries and even their own office and meeting facilities, sends a clear and positive message to the community. And often a positive message to other land owners and businesses that Council itself is prepared to invest in the renewal of the city centre.”
Other examples of civic investment
“To illustrate this trend, I highlighted other initiatives as examples, including projects in Whangarei, Napier, Taupo, Tauranga and Ashburton and a new facility in Rolleston (more an example of a new town centre initiative but still representative). It noted that some of these are in planning, some in delivery and some recently completed.
I also noted that, as an advisory practice, TwentyTwo is involved with three of these – Taupō, Napier and Tauranga. While they all have slightly different underlying drivers, they all demonstrate the use of civic and community investment as a way to stimulate city centre renewal – while also solving the requirement for community and civic facilities that are past their use-by-date.
Tauranga is clearly a much larger city but an interesting case study as it has faced similar challenges – a real decline in the city centre, vacancies, increased crime and a lack of private sector investment – while other parts in the city like the Mount and Tauriko are thriving. I noted while I didn’t think Nelson had the extent of challenges Tauranga had faced, their experience is starting to show that decisions by Council (to lease a new civic office facility and build a new community hub and library), is having a positive influence on the city centre. More private sector investment and the start of rejuvenation is evident with many cranes on the horizon.
Closer to home I also referenced other examples in nearby communities such as Blenheim’s new library and art gallery, Motueka’s library (below) and Picton’s library and service centre.”
Reimagining civic facilities
“To add further context, I outlined that many of the examples from other local authorities involve facilities that provide communities with a ‘sense of place’. While these may include a library for example, increasingly these are more contemporary spaces that do more than just store books on shelves.
Instead, they focus on supporting collaboration, innovation and experience by providing public meeting, multi-purpose and flexible spaces and often cafés, for functions, learning and cultural and community events, and for all ages in the community. In some cases, they are standalone facilities and in other cases, they are aggregated alongside civic offices and elected member facilities.”
Poor office space in regional NZ
“I also highlighted the need for civic investment was often by practicality. A common factor that many other regional towns and cities have faced is a lack of modern office buildings to provide contemporary work environments for staff. Like our community facilities, much of our building stock is ageing or subject to low seismic or sustainability standards.
And generally new developments are driven by specific occupier demand. That is why we are also seeing other local authorities either building or leasing new office facilities as they need to replace existing assets and keep pace with modern workplace practices.
Nelson was no different. There is a paucity of larger-scale, modern office facilities. Those that have been developed (and there are some good examples) are generally tenant or demand led.”
In summary…
“Local government plays a critical role in regional economic growth, social wellbeing and community vibrancy. As all town centres and CBDs face challenges from technology and change and the intergenerational lack of investment in all infrastructure (not just pipes and roads), new investment is needed.
This investment, if well-planned and delivered, not only meets immediate needs, but also helps to stimulate redevelopment and helps revitalise our towns and cities across the country. While local government does face funding challenges, these projects need to be prioritised to ensure the problem doesn’t simply get bigger.”
In Part Two of this series on local government, Dean will look at some of the commercial structures and partnering arrangements that could be used to help fund these initiatives.
