The 1950s Restaurant and Bar will be looking for a new home this year. Photo / Diane McCarthy
Five buildings in Whakatāne’s town centre are expected to be demolished to make way for a riverfront revitalisation project.
The Whakatāne District Council purchased the buildings on the corner of Quay St and Strand East, including 58, 60 and 62 The Strand and 31 and 33 Quay St as part of its long-term vision for redevelopment.
No 62 Strand East is currently home to the 1950s Restaurant and Bar.
The Framer’s has just this week moved from 58 Strand East.
Rich Nielson, who recently took over the picture framing business from long-time owner Jos Van De Laar, has moved to new premises on the corner of McAlister and Pyne Sts.
The owner of the 1950s Restaurant and Bar, Priscilla Bhandari, said she had been told two to three months ago that she would have to move out.
She has been given until the end of March to do so.
The buildings have been leased to businesses on short-term leases for the past few years.
Bhandari has owned the restaurant for about two years, and though she knew the council had plans to dispose of the buildings at some future date, she said it came as a shock to her that it was happening so soon.
“I was hoping I would get a new lease. I would not have bought the business if I had known they were going to demolish it for real.”
She said she was looking for a new location for her restaurant, but if she could not find one she would need to close the business.
The buildings all date from early last century. Nestled amongst them is the tiny Art Deco former Women’s Plunket and Restroom, currently occupied by Halo Whakatāne.
The council said that with the buildings showing signs of significant deterioration, it had decided not to relet them once current leases expired over the next six months.
“These buildings are deteriorating and will soon become unsafe to occupy without significant repair work,” said strategy and growth general manager Leny Woolsey.
Their removal is part of a larger riverfront regeneration project to take place after the completion of Stages 1 and 2 of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council’s Project Future Proof, upgrading flood defences along the Whakatāne CBD stretch of the Whakatāne River.
With the first two stages complete, and with upgrades to pedestrian access across the Wairere Stream scheduled for later this year, the district council is now planning works to reduce the visual impact of the concrete floodwall and reconnect the community with the river.
“We know how important it is for our communities to maintain access to the river and enjoy the space for recreation. These improvements will help soften the presence of the floodwall and create a welcoming environment for everyone,” Woolsey said.
“Including this area in the design now, alongside the floodwall enhancements, is the most cost-effective approach to regenerating the site and makes best use of the central government co-funding supporting the riverfront improvements. If the buildings were to remain, repair costs would fall largely to ratepayers,” Woolsey said.
The first area of focus for the enhancement works will be around the Whakatāne isite building, and the area where the buildings are to be demolished.
Whakatāne isite services currently operate from a temporary location at 144 The Strand while the council considered longer-term options.
A councillor workshop on February 4 will consider whether the service returns to its previous building.
While a final decision is yet to be made by the council, tenders for demolition works for the corner of The Strand and Quay St are expected to go out in March 2026, with tenders for enhancement works expected to follow later this year.
The council put out a tender in October for concept designs for the area around the isite and the Whakatāne Sport Fishing Club.
It said community feedback would be sought on design concepts for the riverfront enhancement shortly.
“We want to ensure everyone has a say in what this area looks like. We want to create a space that’s welcoming, safe and within existing budgets, and we’ll share a few different design options for the public to view and comment on,” Woolsey said.
The enhancement works are supported by $3.79 million from the Government via the Provincial Growth Fund, administered by Kānoa (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment).
Alongside this, the council has allocated $7.5m through its Long-Term Plan 2024–2034 for this and further enhancements to the riverfront once Stage 3 of the floodwall is complete.
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.