Parking wardens are set to become a little more lenient as the Marlborough District Council seeks to entice shoppers back to Blenheim town centre.

People in the CBD who overstayed their paid parking or didn’t activate their free parking hour on a meter would receive courtesy notices instead of fines from September until early December.

The council said parking wardens would have discretion to decide how much overstaying warranted a fine.

Council project and contracts manager Loren Coffey told councillors on Thursday the decision was in response to feedback from businesses during the Market St refresh.

Loren called them “get out of jail free parking fines”.

‘Free Parking Friday’ was planned for when the projected was completed in time for Christmas.

The council was planning a big opening to “showcase council’s investment in strengthening town centre vibrancy and improving the experience for residents and visitors” when the full job was done.

The section of Market St between Arthur St and High St reopened on Wednesday, to the delight of many. Only the large pebble stone seats remained fenced off on Thursday morning.

The parking meters on Market St on Thursday morning were showing “free parking”, but the council confirmed that was for a limited time only.

The revamp was 60 per cent complete and running five days ahead of schedule, Loren told councillors.

The $4.3m project began in early July. Contractor Fulton Hogan had run night shifts throughout the project to minimise disruption during trading hours.

Councillor Gerald Hope issued a challenge to CBD landlords, saying they needed to update their buildings and shop fronts. He said some had been neglected and needed a fresh coat of paint.

Deputy mayor David Croad said: “If we really want town centre to be successful, the answer to that is getting into town and going to your favourite cafe and your favourite retail experience.”

“A little less buying things online ... support our in-town retailers if we want the CBD to thrive and survive,” he said.

Meanwhile, work continued at the northern end, between High St and Alfred St. That part of the street was due to reopen in late October.

At the other end of Market St, Maxwell Rd was reduced to one lane on Tuesday as work ramped up there.

Council had worked with local iwi representatives to incorporate cultural designs into the new town centre, Coffey’s report said.

The design etched into the pavers and garden bed walls throughout the street was created by famed Ngāi Tahu carver Fayne Robinson.

Meanwhile, Fulton Hogan would be inviting local college students onto the site to learn about civil construction and project delivery as part of the Future of Work programme.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.