It has been over thirty years since Emerson Street was last invested in as one of New Zealand’s first pedestrian-friendly streets.
In 2023 we asked the community for feedback on how they would like to see our prime shopping street look and function in the future. This includes all of Emerson Street from Clive and Memorial Squares down to Marine Parade, as well as Market Street.
The vision for Emerson Street is to be a vibrant city centre destination that communicates the identity and culture of Napier. This includes putting pedestrians first and having the flexibility to provide for a range of everyday needs and celebratory events. The inclusive design will consider both locals and visitors, providing easy-to-access and social places for all.
The project will signal to our community, the commercial sector, and visitors that Napier is vibrant, safe and forward-moving. There are examples across New Zealand that show these types of improvements will attract more investors and entrepreneurs and over time, positively affect real estate valuations.
The western gateway of Clive and Memorials Squares, and the eastern gateway of Marine Parade are bookends to our city centre. These places can be vibrant front doors to the city, better suited for community gatherings, festivals and markets.
We are working through the design for the entire street this year and will carry out the construction in four stages over the next three years, subject to funding. This will ensure there is one consistent vision and level of investment for the whole street, while spreading the cost over time and reducing disruption to people using Emerson Street.
We have government funding of $1.65 million for this project. It will pay for community engagement, the concept design of the entire street, and the detailed design of stage 1 (between Clive and Memorial Squares).
Stage 1 construction will be paid for with the remainder of this government funding and will be tailored to this budget. Our intention is to begin Stage 1 construction in the second half of 2024.
More information on the project can be found on the Napier City Council website here.
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