Bob Simpson has suggested that the Invercargill City Council buy the former H&J Smith department store site in the inner city with the plan to develop a new museum there.
Two years ago when the new museum was being talked about there was no knowledge of the H&Js building being available for development. That surely needs to be at least considered. Years of poor town planning has left Invercargill with a fragmented central business district and any change such as the HWR group bringing their head office back into the CBD does a lot to turn the tide. A vibrant city center needs feet on the ground and with the move to online shopping other options should be explored to bring people into town and a museum should not be dismissed with some thought on the pros and cons.
I think by now everyone is aware of the Mayors grand plan to build a grand council castle on the site which will leave the city with even more debt and this is probably more than a little to do with the refusal to consider this proposal.
The museum needs to be in the CBD in the old HandJ building- it is just plain common sense!
It brings tourists and locals into our new CBD which will help to continue to revitalise the city( rather than further divide it). There is ready made car parking and it will bring more foot traffic to the CBD which will help support all of the businesses who have taken risk with their own money by setting up their businesses in the cbd redevelopment.
The alternative is having an empty shell of a building (which will end up quickly deteriorating) taking away from the beauty of the new cbd and the pride that it is giving us after a long time feeling ashamed and embarrassed by our inner city.
Please show some true leadership council, make the hard decisions you’ve been elected to make (dont waste time with consultation- time is money in the business world), make them now and get on with it!!!
Two years ago when the new museum was being talked about there was no knowledge of the H&Js building being available for development. That surely needs to be at least considered. Years of poor town planning has left Invercargill with a fragmented central business district and any change such as the HWR group bringing their head office back into the CBD does a lot to turn the tide. A vibrant city center needs feet on the ground and with the move to online shopping other options should be explored to bring people into town and a museum should not be dismissed with some thought on the pros and cons.
I think by now everyone is aware of the Mayors grand plan to build a grand council castle on the site which will leave the city with even more debt and this is probably more than a little to do with the refusal to consider this proposal.
The museum needs to be in the CBD in the old HandJ building- it is just plain common sense!
It brings tourists and locals into our new CBD which will help to continue to revitalise the city( rather than further divide it). There is ready made car parking and it will bring more foot traffic to the CBD which will help support all of the businesses who have taken risk with their own money by setting up their businesses in the cbd redevelopment.
The alternative is having an empty shell of a building (which will end up quickly deteriorating) taking away from the beauty of the new cbd and the pride that it is giving us after a long time feeling ashamed and embarrassed by our inner city.
Please show some true leadership council, make the hard decisions you’ve been elected to make (dont waste time with consultation- time is money in the business world), make them now and get on with it!!!
For gods sake get on with it.