Hāwera’s first town centre redevelopment project, Campbell Lane, was officially opened on Saturday 29 April by South Taranaki Mayor Ross Dunlop.
The attractive, open-aired thoroughfare is a combination of paving and greenspace, with trees, seating, entrance pillars and a number of lighting columns which connect the Cornish’s Car Park with the main street retail area.
As part of the international celebration of 100 years of Lions Clubs, the Hāwera Mt View Lions Club has also donated an art sculpture which has been incorporated into the Campbell Lane development.
At the same time the Mayor also officially opened the new Warehouse Stationery outlet which is situated in the building alongside the new laneway.
Mayor Dunlop says the Campbell Lane project is part of a wider strategy to make the Hāwera Town Centre a more distinctive, attractive and vibrant place.
“The Hāwera Town Centre Strategy is about the Council showing leadership and looking at how we could enhance business confidence and private investment in the town centre so the district is seen as a desirable place to visit, live, work and do business,” says Mayor Dunlop. "It's also appropriate that the name is linked to a former mayor in the 1930s, Mr J E Campbell, who’s family owned the Campbell Building.”
Bizlink Hāwera (Hāwera Business Association) chairman and sitting Councillor Gary Brown, says it is awesome to see the Campbell Lane project completed. “Bizlink has been very supportive of the Council’s town centre strategy. There has been a lot of work gone into the planning and preparation, so it’s fantastic to see that all coming to fruition,” he says. “It’s also really encouraging to see private developers investing in the town centre.”
Hāwera Town Centre project coordinator Phil Waite says the public response to Campbell Lane has been very positive and the project has been a good example of collaboration between the Council and the neighbouring property owners.
“Both property owners on either side of the new lane have made improvements to their buildings, with one investor completely renovating the old empty building where the Warehouse Stationery is now located,” says Mr Waite.
“This is great to see because one of the key goals underpinning the Town Centre redevelopment was that it would be a catalyst to drive change and to encourage private enterprise to invest in the town centre – and that is what we are seeing happen,” he says.
Mr Waite says the next town centre project will be a second laneway which will involve demolishing of the old ‘Butchers’ building on High Street which will then connect to the Napier Street car parks and the refurbishment of the Council owned Grubi building.
Tenders for the demolition work should be advertised next month.