Huge changes are in the pipeline for New Brighton over the next year-and-a-half.
Coastal Ward Councillor Celeste Donovan says this will condense New Brighton's commercial core from 11 hectares to four, meaning fewer vacant buildings and existing spaces being used better.
Touted for decades as an area with huge potential, retail and residential investment is noticeably ramping up.
Christchurch City Council announced a masterplan vision for the suburb in February 2015.
It allocated $14 million to revitalise the mall, roads, footpaths, landscaping and public amenities.
The next stage of the plan is the extension of Oram Ave through to Hawke St, effectively cutting the mall in half.
Celeste Donovan.
The council is currently negotiating with affected building owners and has purchased one of the buildings.
Donovan says they are looking to start demolition next year.
She hopes the redevelopments will encourage even more investment in the seaside suburb.
- By Geoff Sloan
- Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
