Editorial: Town a much nicer place to be

Linda Hall.

Plans to revitalise the Hastings CBD are another step in the right direction for a city that has already improved beyond recognition.

Think back just a few years to the days when the WINZ office was on Heretaunga St.

Patched gang members hanging around outside and wandering up and down the street was not an uncommon sight.

Since its move to Eastbourne St and the introduction of City Assist, "town" is a much nicer place to be.

The other thing that helped was banning the sale of synthetic drugs.

There have been a lot of other changes for the better, with Farmers and Hutchinson's moving to more central premises.

There are some wonderful, unique shops in Hastings' CBD. The trick is to get the foot traffic from Kmart Plaza into the CBD.

That area has surged in the past two years to the point where some days it's impossible to get a park.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the Hastings City Council Vibrancy Plan has in store for Hastings.

The plan is to give the city centre a "kick start".

I remember the days of Friday night shopping when the streets were packed.

I doubt we will ever go back to that but I believe we might just be heading in the right direction with a newfound confidence in retail spending.

Tourist numbers are up, the sun is still shining, it's time for Hastings to shine as well.