Emerson St revamp: Penny for your thoughts on the Napier CBD

The Napier City Council plans to start design work in its proposed Emerson Street CBD revamp early in the New Year, although it is yet to finish the consultation.

The Revitalise Emerson pop-up shop has another week to run at 247 Emerson St, with feedback sought from anyone interested in sharing their thoughts.

It will be the biggest rethink of the shopping centre in the 30 years since it was transformed into a pedestrian shopping precinct, with single-lane vehicle access replacing the two-way traffic, from the days of the main-street drag.

Cruise visitors enjoy a stroll along Emerson St in Napier on Wednesday. Photo / NZME

Council’s City Activation lead Steph Kennard said that with some government funding the council is keen to make the most of that opportunity and “do something really cool for the community”.

The work includes gathering data around the movement of people, vehicles and micro-transport options like bikes and scooters, with interviews, observations and video analysis by a local research company.

Meanwhile, the week-long Squares in the City, focused on Clive and Memorial squares, is in full swing and the Napier Night Fiesta series starts its 2023-2024 season on December 8.