Tacky city signs get the message

RACHEL PINDER
Napier businesses will be asked to ditch their sandwich boards and tidy up their signs under a proposal that seeks to encourage the city's Art Deco heritage.
Mayor Barbara Arnott last night encouraged shop owners and businesses in the central business district to work together to rid the Art Deco capital of unnecessary sandwich boards and garish signs.
Only 60 shop and business owners out of an invited total of 700 turned up to hear her speak on the topic at the Hawke's Bay Museum in Hershell Street.
But the support they showed was unanimous.
Thousands of tourists and visitors flock to Napier every year - many attracted by its Art Deco buildings and unique heritage.
But Mrs Arnott wants shop owners and businesses in the inner city, particularly the Art Deco Heritage area, to do more to improve the city's heart and its growing reputation as an interesting place to visit, work and invest.
As part of the continuing improvement, Napier City Council is about to review its signs policy, and Mrs Arnott called the meeting with business owners and inner city stakeholders to discuss how Art Deco heritage can be enhanced while still giving businesses the opportunity to promote themselves.
Mrs Arnott gave a presentation, showing the difference between the cluttered sign-strewn looking streets of Napier as they are now, and a proposed sleeker and tidier option of using less signs and simpler Art Deco style designs.
She was the first to admit the council needs to take a lot of its own street signs down and place them instead in walls or pavements - which she added would be made a priority so people could see the difference.
"A lot of the council signs for street names and parking are unnecessary and they don't have to be on poles sticking out like a sore thumb. They can be included in the actual facade of the building instead.
"Napier is the Art Deco capital of the world. This is incredibly important to us as a city in New Zealand, and a city of our size.
"But I think we can get smarter and add more value to the CBD. We're the commercial capital of the east coast, and we want to be remembered that way.
"We can only do it if we all work together, and the council will hold hands with shop and business owners all the way, rather than making rules and regulations about it.
"We have a fabulous built environment. If you come to Napier during Art Deco weekend, you will get the complete Art Deco experience. But any visitors who visit Napier any other time of the year can do the Art Deco walks, but they just don't get the complete Art Deco experience. We need to support tourism across the whole year, rather than just January to March.
"This is about enhancing business, putting more value into business, and bringing more dollars into the city.
"I don't expect changes to happen in a month or even a year. This will take time as we roll through it, and we want to talk to everyone involved individually," Mrs Arnott said.
She pointed to the sloppy appearance of the signs outside Mid City Plaza in Emerson Street, which she said could be tidied up with all the business names on one neat sign.
And she gave praise to the newly-opened Hawke's Bay Today offices in Tennyson Street, which she said was an attractive enhancement to the city, in keeping with the Art Deco style.
Shop owners and business people showed their overwhelming support for Mrs Arnott's ideas, although some were sceptical about how colours and designs would be chosen. The Art Deco signs issues will be discussed at a meeting of full council today.
* Editorial - Page 6