Editorial: Have the heart to revive CBD

I have quickly learnt what the hot issues in Hawkes Bay are in the short time I have lived here. Fracking is huge, with a lot of noise from the anti-frackers, but not much from those who could tell us what the economic benefits of it could be.

Other issues that get people hot under the collar tend to revolve around the pros and cons of amalgamating Napier and Hastings, as well as the so-called strengths of one city and the perceived weaknesses of the other.

It is the latter subject that has intrigued me recently, particularly the fierce debate around the state of Hastings' CBD.

A few weeks ago, our assistant editor Mark Story wrote a column that was quite critical of Hastings CBD and explained that he preferred to take his children to Napier on a Saturday. He described Hastings as the Art Garfunkel to Napier's Paul Simon. I knew the column would cause controversy, but let it go in because columnists are supposed to be controversial.

I was, however, surprised at the depth of feelings on both sides on the issue. On one hand, you have people saying Hastings CBD (and some parts in particular) is full of undesirables and not very attractive. On the other side, you have people like Sandra Hazelhurst, the acting chair of the Hastings City Business Association, who is a fierce defender of the CBD and also very passionate about making improvements.

I had coffee with Sandra a couple of weeks ago at a lovely cafe I go to all the time, Taste Cornucopia, in Heretaunga St East. She spoke at length about the good things that the CBD has to offer - like the very cafe we were sitting in - and also about some very exciting developments in the pipeline.

More details of these developments were in our paper yesterday, with Ms Hazelhurst quoted as saying the CBD had attracted in excess of $80 million of private investment. She said the redevelopment of key anchor sites was at various stages of completion and she promised the city would see significant change by the end of the year.

The new Farmers store in Heretaunga St will encourage shoppers to come to the CBD while there are a number of retailers like Cotton On and Caroline Eve set to open. There is also progress on the Albert Hotel and the site will be going to auction soon.

All this is fantastic news.

I must say that since I am new to Hastings and since I work slap-bang in the middle of it, I do not dislike the CBD. (Okay, the buses and trucks that drive past my window do annoy me sometimes, but that is a necessary evil).

Sure, there are some areas that could be improved but show me a CBD that doesn't have those areas. Even parts of Auckland CBD are less than desirable.

I think it is time for residents of Hastings to work together to make their CBD a place people want to go. Ms Hazelhurst certainly has enough passion for the redevelopment project to make it happen. The equation is simple: Give people a place where they feel safe to eat and shop at weekends and in the evenings and you will have a booming CBD.

Hawke's Bay Today will in the next few months be running a series on the Hastings CBD, giving readers details of all the positive things being done.

Who knows, maybe Garfunkel will soon be selling as many records as Simon.

It can only be good for our region.