Hastings is no pig, and its rejuvenation is more than lipstick

Damon Harvey, right, at the opening of the revamped Municipal Building in Hastings. Photograph / Ian Cooper

OPINION: I was disappointed to read an opinion recently that said Hastings council needs to partner with a developer in the central city, just like it did in the 1980s to build Kmart Plaza.

Former Hawke’s Bay Today’s former editor Craig Coopers’s column called Reverse Spin also resurfaced a comment made at a meeting between council and CBD businesses when a retailer said the revitalisation of the CBD was like putting “lipstick on a pig”.

And his column said “ouch” when referring to council developments on the western side of the city.

Craig then put forward some ideas such as “ground level accommodation walking distance from a bustling entertainment area and retail precinct” and “knock down some buildings, create inner city parks, accommodation, cafes, restaurants, bars and vibrancy, with new ‘roads’ for e-bikes and mobility scooters”.

But these ideas are not new and, in fact, much is already under way with support from the developer community, the Hastings Business Association and ratepayers.

In 2013 Council launched a Hastings City Centre strategy 2012-2033 which has been refreshed and renamed Hastings Alive.

It currently is working its way through a list of 23 enhancement programmes.

Examples include knocking down a building in the 300 West Heretaunga Street block to create a walkway connecting to offstreet parking; purchasing a building in the 200 block to do the same – which will open out to a new inner-city park below a proposed apartment complex, which it is partnering in with a local developer.

Council created a pocket park in Hastings Street and built new seating outside the NZME offices and received funds from the government’s Innovating Streets fund for the 200 east block which can be closed off to vehicles for events.

Having started the Hastings Alive revitalisation programme in the West blocks a few years ago, council is now returning to undertake street enhancements.

As well as the recent completion of the Toitoi events and hospo precinct, and CBD also has new commercial and retail precincts such as The Tribune, The Albert, Hastings Hive, Urban Workshop and the revamped Post Office - all homes to a fast-growing professional services community.

The positive feedback about Hastings has been overwhelming from locals and visitors (including media) alike and the accolades have extended to awards such as the much coveted Most Beautiful large town award and the overall supreme award in 2020.

I recently took an old school friend who previously didn’t hold Hastings in high regard to some of the new hospitality offerings and he was blown away – saying the likes of Hastings Gin Distillery, Brave and Craft & Social are up there with the best on offer in metropolitan cities.

The interest by developers and businesses keen to establish in Hastings is unprecedented and only this week it was revealed that Hastings will welcome back the region’s economic development agency and the business support agencies.

Hastings based property valuers Williams’ Harvey latest report shows a slight lift in vacancies, up to 11.24 per cent from 9.68 per cent in April, and the completion of new developments has seen a rise in shop premises from 248 to 267.

In March 2023 Hastings will celebrate the opening of its first inner city hotel, Quest, and I believe this could lead to other hotel operators establishing in the CBD, benefitting from the increase in conference events at Toitoi.

Council is looking at other properties within the CBD that could also be mixed use – commercial, retail and living as we create a modern city where you can live, work and play.

And as well as enhancing the CBD, Hastings’ strong economy has also led to large national and multi-national businesses to invest in Stortford Lodge.

* Damon Harvey is a Hastings District councillor