Mayor's Message: Revitalising our city

Council’s top priority this term is creating a more vibrant and attractive central city where people want to shop, work, eat, drink, play and live.

Realising this ambition requires Council to invest in modern infrastructure, update our planning rules, attract private investment and support events that bring life to the city. Council also needs to invest in quality civic and cultural facilities.

The $78 million Bridge to Better project, of which we have secured $36 million from central government, is on budget and on schedule for completion in August 2027. We are doing all we can to support the affected businesses. This infrastructure upgrade is essential to help enable development.

In June, we announced the deal between Council and Safari Group for a new eight-storey hotel and apartment complex containing 54 hotel rooms and 54 residential apartments on the Council-owned site of the former Bridge Street bus hub.

This month, we have secured agreement with Connings to develop a new Food Market, similar to its Appleby complex, on the Achilles Ave-Rutherford St site previously owned by Council. We leased part of this site in 2024 to Connings for a pop-up store to test the market. Connings has now bought the site and committed to the new complex. Council has also been working closely with the developers of Morrison Square including changing Morrison Street to one-way. This exciting development will have new commercial tenants in early 2027, new eateries and a rooftop bar by next August. The first concrete was poured last week for the new hotel to be completed at the end of 2027.

I am also optimistic about new residential developments in the city. There are 18 units for Habitat for Humanity and 39 units for The Salvation Army under construction on Rutherford Street. Others are to be announced soon.

It is important that Council also invests in public facilities that help bring people into the city. We opened the new Bus Hub in December and opened last Friday the new Arts Hub in Millers Acre. The new playground in Rutherford Park will open later this year. The next step is resolving, in consultation with the public, which of the three site options for the Community Hub, Library and Civic Space is best for city.

Revitalisation of central Nelson is gaining momentum and bodes well for 2027.