Plans afoot to fast-track Newmarket upgrade

Shoppers will soon be able to walk out of Newmarket's boutique stores with that $2000 designer outfit or new pair of shoes and on to smart-looking new footpaths.

After an eight-year battle by the Newmarket Business Association to bring the footpaths up to the level of the fashion stores, Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard has announced plans to fast-track an upgrade of the footpaths and street furniture in Broadway and surrounding streets.

The mish-mash of interlocking pavers, yellow tactile pavers for the blind and red and grey pavers will start to come up in early 2007.

The $5 million makeover will take about 18 months, Mr Hubbard has told local business people.

The money will come from a $10 million-a-year pool set aside to fix the city's crumbling footpaths.

Work had not been due to start until the 2008-2009 financial year.

Association chief executive Cameron Brewer attributed the "surprise announcement" to adopting the strategy that "if you make enough noise the council can't ignore you".

The strategy has delighted retailers and shoppers.

Maria Griffin, who lives by the Domain in Newmarket and visits Broadway twice a week, said the footpaths were shocking, with loose pavers and bumps in places.

"I am in my early 60s now and I have to be very careful. I don't want to trip and break a bone," she said.

Three weeks ago an elderly woman fell over and got a bloodied face and bruising on Broadway outside Briarwood shoes. Manager Lilian Peart said the condition of the footpaths was shocking for such a premier shopping strip.

Leanne Claason, who manages the Swarovski store in Remuera Rd, just off Broadway, said she often saw women shoppers in their high shoes tripping on the loose pavers.

Smith & Caughey Newmarket manager Angela Merrie, in the job for three months, cannot believe how shabby the footpaths are.

"Newmarket is going to be a much bigger and better place and footpaths and the streetscape need to be kept up with the way Newmarket is moving," she said.

Mr Brewer said new footpaths were the biggest news in many years for Newmarket, which has several big retailing developments on the go.

"We'd like to become New Zealand's own Rodeo Drive, but underfoot we've been very Ruatoria."

Footpath plan

* $27 million has been spent over the past three years upgrading 230km of city footpaths.

* Suburbs to benefit include parts of Grey Lynn, Pt Chevalier, Mt Eden, St Heliers, Avondale, Onehunga, Ponsonby, Remuera, Glen Innes, Westmere, Waterview, Pt Resolution.

* Remuera Rd shopping centre is currently getting new footpaths at a cost of $920,000.

* Footpaths rated 'poor' and 'very poor' and where utility companies are doing work get priority.