The Napier War Memorial Centre is a step closer to seeing the war memorial elements reinstated. Photo / File
Napier is one step closer to having its war memorial reinstated, with council establishing a reference group to come up with a new concept design.
The group has been established to provide advice and guidance, based on the elements council agreed to in March this year.
The group will includerepresentatives from council, Heritage Hawke's Bay, the RSA, the military, as well as individual community members.
Deputy mayor Annette Brosnan said the community lost a lot of trust in council when it removed the war memorial elements.
"This working group's core task is to make sure all the fine detail which goes along with some high level design that council has already approved, becomes an appropriate reality.
"Actually tapping into those resources in our community, it's another way that we are engaging with them in as many different ways as we can.
"I think its fantastic that we are moving forward with the design for the restoration of our war memorial elements."
She said her aim was to see the war memorial fully restored by Anzac Day 2021.
Designgroup Stapleton Elliot + PMA has been announced as the firm which will undertake the design work.
The first meeting of the reference group is expected to held in late November, with the presentation of the final design due to take place in March 2020.
The issue has been a long running saga in Napier, after the War Memorial Centre was re-opened in 2017 without the Eternal Flame, roll of honour plaques and the war memorial name following a multimillion dollar redevelopment.