Carlyle St, Napier's failed experiment: Council removes planter boxes after seven years

Carlyle St in Napier after planter boxes and trees were installed in the street in 2014. Photo / NZME

Planter boxes installed in a controversial beautification of one of Napier's busiest streets seven years ago have been removed after dominating a survey on safety improvements in the area.

Council staff say they were "blown away" by the level of interest in the future of Carlyle St, with more than 1000 responses from the public across all aspects.

The removal of the planter boxes and their pōhutukawa was top of the list of suggestions raised in consultation, council acting director of infrastructure Debra Stewart said.

"The number one suggestion was that we take away the planter boxes to increase visibility at driveways and intersections," she said.

"This is just the first of several changes we are looking at for Carlyle Street."

Other suggestions included additional pedestrian crossings, improved car parking and cycle lanes.

The council will early next year consider a plan for further changes to Carlyle St, which it says is one of the busiest roads leading into the Napier CBD.

Despite a lack of defined cycle paths, it is also the city's busiest cycling route, with up to 200 cyclists using it daily.

At the time the 12 planter boxes were installed in 2014, council staff were concerned the street had a "semi-industrial" look, and businesses were consulted about the council's plans to "soften" the appearance.

Soon after, the public started expressing concerns about the loss of some parking spaces and said the planter boxes could be an obstruction to traffic.