After more than a decade of setting up at the Marine Parade carparking area between SK8 Zone and the old Marineland, Napier's traditional Sunday market is set for a shift.
Although it will be a move of necessity, it may also turn out to be a much better option forstallholders and visitors.
"I think most will see it as a far nicer site," Napier City Council corporate communications manager Robyn McLean said.
The Sunday market's new home will be to the carpark area just north of the Ocean Spa. The shift needs to be made as the present area is set for a major revamp, as part of the council's Marine Parade redevelopment programme. Ms McLean said the council had worked with market representatives and it was decided the best relocation would be to the area north of the spa facility.
"We think it's a great location," she said. "It has public toilets, parking, a close proximity to town and shaded grass areas."
At this stage the market will relocate just before Christmas, although the market organisers were actually keen to relocate earlier. Ms McLean said the present area where the markets are staged would not be big enough after the development work to host the large number of stalls which turn out every week, so the shift was almost certainly going to be a permanent one.
She said fears the market would be pushed into a "back corner" somewhere, as one texter wrote, were unfounded.
Work on the next stage of the parade redevelopment had initially been set for next month but had now been postponed until early next year.
Marine Parade redevelopment committee chairman Keith Price said the scale of the work, which will see water features, pathways, sculptures and lookout spots, was vast and it had been decided to minimise disruption for tourists and locals over the busy Christmas and New Year period.
He said putting the starting date back a couple of months would not affect the planned completion date of December, 2016.
A major part of the work will also see a complete revamp of the old Marineland site into a world-class skate park and events facility.
