Council sets up group to come up with concept design for Napier's war memorial restoration

The Napier War Memorial Centre is a step closer to seeing the war memorial elements reinstated. Photo / File

Napier is one step closer to having its war memorial reinstated, with council establishing a reference group to come up with a new concept design.

The group has been established to provide advice and guidance, based on the elements council agreed to in March this year.

The group will include representatives from council, Heritage Hawke's Bay, the RSA, the military, as well as individual community members.

Deputy mayor Annette Brosnan said the community lost a lot of trust in council when it removed the war memorial elements.

"This working group's core task is to make sure all the fine detail which goes along with some high level design that council has already approved, becomes an appropriate reality.

"I see this working group being very important in that our community has been vocal about this issue.

"I don't think we would ever like to be in the business of returning a war memorial again."

The multi-million dollar redevelopment project saw the eternal flame and honour rolls removed from the war memorial. Photo / File

The reference group is similar to one set up during the Marine Parade redevelopment, which councillor Keith Price said had worked really well.

Mayor Kirsten Wise said she would like to see reference groups occur more often.

"Actually tapping into those resources in our community, it's another way that we are engaging with them in as many different ways as we can.

"I think its fantastic that we are moving forward with the design for the restoration of our war memorial elements."

She said her aim was to see the war memorial fully restored by Anzac Day 2021.

Designgroup Stapleton Elliot + PMA has been announced as the firm which will undertake the design work.

The first meeting of the reference group is expected to held in late November, with the presentation of the final design due to take place in March 2020.

The issue has been a long running saga in Napier, after the War Memorial Centre was re-opened in 2017 without the Eternal Flame, roll of honour plaques and the war memorial name following a multimillion dollar redevelopment.

In total, $1.54m has been budgeted for the project.

Council resolved that construction costs, excluding remembrance artwork and all professional fees be no more than $750,000.