Properties have swapped hands as Nelson City Council progresses plans for a revitalised waterfront.
On Monday, the council revealed that three years ago it had quietly agreed to sell part of the 236 Haven Rd property, where the old Reliance Building stands, to Port Nelson.
Last week, the short Collins St, which adjoins the Reliance Building site, was also declassified as a public road, allowing part of that land to also be sold to the port.
The sales will allow the port to straighten its boundary to increase container capacity while making safety and operational improvements.
As part of the property shuffle, the council has bought 305 Akersten St from the port, which has been earmarked for the new sea sports facility envisioned in the Nelson Marina’s multi-million-dollar masterplan.
Port chief executive Matt McDonald was pleased to reach a mutually beneficial arrangement with the council.
“It’s a move that strengthens our ability to meet the needs of our customers and community well into the future.”
The announcement confirms plans Mayor Nick Smith mentioned in his inaugural speech at the new council’s first meeting of the triennium in late October that would help “reactivate” the waterfront.
Deconstruction of the Reliance Building began on Monday and was only expected to have a “minimal” impact on traffic and pedestrians before it was slated to be complete in February.
“This property is the least attractive of the 10 council owns [in the area] as it is squeezed between the container port and state highway, but it can help us activate the other buildings and waterfront by improving access and parking,” Smith said.
The old Four Seasons building at 250 Haven Road is also slated to be deconstructed as part of the project.
The vacant land where the Reliance Building stands will become a “useful and attractive entrance to a new-look waterfront” with low-level landscaping, while the Four Seasons site will become a carpark to improve accessibility to the area.
Councillor Mel Courtney leads the council’s waterfront redevelopment taskforce and said the deconstructions were the first step towards the redevelopment of a key precinct.
“It’s a magnificent space and we have a good opportunity to enhance it for Nelsonians and visitors.”
The council plans to engage with the community about how the waterfront should be “transformed” as it develops a masterplan for the area.
The property deals come a year after the council bought the Customhouse for $1.3 million, which had been the final parcel of land between Collins Street and Wakefield Quay that the council hadn’t owned.
The Nelson Whakatū Menzshed moved out of the Reliance Building last year and was unaffected by its deconstruction.
Chair Chris Gladstone said that the building had been “otherworldly” for the organisation.
“With all of the space that we had available to us, we thought it was the best thing ever.”
However, he said that the Menzshed’s new home in one of the Railway Society’s sheds at Founders Heritage Park was “much more suitable”, with the group now receiving more visitors than it used to.
“It gives us really good involvement in the community. We’re much more accessible to the public,” he said.
“It’s a natural place for us to be.”
– Local Democracy Reporting is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
