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“Amazing.” “Fantastic.” “More modern.” And the all important: “Hopefully it'll bring more people in.”
People in Blenheim have been reacting to a major revamp of the town’s main shopping strip, which was revealed yesterday after almost three months of no traffic and restricted pedestrian access.
The new look has even seemingly been shown a little love from an artist, who styles their work on Banksy, whose latest piece — a child spray painting a red heart, while another watched — also saw the true light of day as the aisles of fencing came down.
Local Democracy Reporting joined shoppers and curious CBD-inspectors on a wander up and down Market St on Wednesday, as the upgrade got a proper spring four-seasons-in-a-day test run.
Renwick resident Pam Price was happy to see the back of the old slippery pavers, and the faded blue arches for that matter.
Market St was looking “a lot better”, she said.
“[The old pavers were] a nightmare for me because I’m not very good on my feet,” Pam said.
“These seem OK, we’ve been in the wet weather and it's not slippery. So good on the council.
“I’m really happy, and I’m sure a lot of older people will be too.”
Pam said she was unsure if the revamp would bring more people into town as “you’ve got to have the shops”, but thought it was still a positive change for Blenheim.
Local Democracy Reporting approached two ladies taking in the refresh who had come into town to “support local” and had just finished having a “wonderful” coffee at The Little Café on Charles St.
“People have got to get out of the idea that there's nothing here. You've got to come into town and shop.”
A CBD workshop in August brainstormed ideas for marketing the town throughout the revamp.
The Marlborough District Council took to Facebook last week to remind people that Market St was open for business despite the fencing and construction work.
The section of Market St between Arthur St and High St reopened on Wednesday, while work continued at the northern end, between High St and Alfred St.
Businesses there told Local Democracy Reporting earlier this month that foot traffic, even though fencing around the construction work allowed for pedestrian access, had dropped off significantly. A walk-in barber shop was forced to close.
That part of the street was due to reopen in late October.
A main thoroughfare for the town centre at the other end of Market St was reduced to one lane on Tuesday as work ramped up there. That part of Maxwell Rd would be down to one lane also until late October. That part of the revamp, around the orrery, should be open in time for Christmas trading.
Blenheim resident Tony Newman on Wednesday praised contractor Fulton Hogan, saying “the boys have done a really good job”.
Another man strode up to LDR to lament the lack of rubbish bins. He wondered if they would be introduced later, before walking away.
Christchurch-based Deanne Graham, who regularly visited Blenheim for her job as a business development manager, said the transformation was “amazing”, likening it to central Dunedin’s recent revamp.
The level terrain was good for people with mobility issues, she said.
Flight Centre employee Daniel Nathan said the spray painted children outside the travel agents had appeared about a month ago.
“We just showed up [on a] Monday and there was the change,” he said.
Daniel said people were constantly stopping to take photos.
He was happy to have “something a bit different” in Blenheim, which could “be a bit sleepy at times”.
The new-look street was “fantastic”, Daniel said, describing it as “a lot fresher” and “more modern”.
“Hopefully it'll bring more people in.”
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
