New City Focus design proposed

The City Focus building (left) could be gone by Christmas, if the council approves a new compilation design at an up-coming meeting. Photo / File

A final design for the proposed revamp of the City Focus is about to be considered- and nearby retailers have already been asked the best time to go ahead with construction.

However, a councillor says it's not a "done deal" just yet.

A compilation design - incorporating aspects of the three options put out for public consultation - is being drawn up and will go before the Rotorua Lakes Council's Strategy, Policy & Finance Committee on November 4, councillor Karen Hunt told the Rotorua Daily Post.

If it gets the tick, the City Focus building could be demolished by Christmas. The full rebuild of the area would likely happen sometime before June, she said.

Mrs Hunt and the council's inner city revitalisation lead adviser, Portia McKenzie, spent two days this week going door to door on the streets adjacent to the City Focus. The main aim was to establish when it would best suit retailers for construction to be carried out.

"There would be dust and noise, so we want to know the best time [to do the work]," Mrs Hunt said.

Sometime after Easter was looking like the preferred time, she said.

Public consultation on the City Focus's future ended last Friday, with 310 submissions received.

Mrs Hunt said all the submissions had informed the final design.

"The people have helped create what it's going to look like," she said.

"It's a completely different way of council working. In the past council would decide the preferred option but this is community-driven."

Mrs Hunt said despite this week's canvassing, the rebuild wasn't a "done deal".

She said three rounds of consultation had shown there was support for a revamp.

She said the services in the City Focus building would be moved to the council building until a suitable inner city premise was found.

Flight Centre travel agent Amanda Aldridge, who recently moved home to Rotorua after 10 years away, agreed the area needed a refresh.

She was impressed by how the city had developed while she'd been away and was excited about plans for the City Focus and night market.

"When I left, Rotorua had a stigma about it as not a nice place to be, a bit run-down," she said. "It's really changed its image."

She said she wasn't concerned about construction affecting business at the Tutanekai St store.

"For a city to grow it has to do construction."

Harvey World Travel manager Deborah Kay agreed City Focus needed to be made more contemporary.

"I think most people are quite keen to see it opened up and user-friendly, not a loitering area."

Salon St Bruno owner Hilda Dufty, whose business is directly adjacent to the City Focus, said the most important thing would be for the rebuild to be done as efficiently as possible.

"Get stuck in and get it done," she said. "Change is good."