"It is important for people to know that there are retailers here as well as cafes and restaurants."
Victoria's Treasures is one of Whanganui's premier gift, clothing and interiors shops. Brierley said the shop is busy in the lead-up to Christmas but she would like to see more foot traffic and people lingering at that end of Victoria Ave.
Vy Nguyen and partner Kaiming (Kelvin) Huang opened their High-Kut Bistro in the former Cinnamonui cafe premises in July this year.
Nguyen said business has been good but she would like to see more foot traffic in the bottom block of Victoria Ave.
"We went to the workshop and it was good," she said.
"There were a lot of good ideas being discussed and we made some suggestions about what we'd like to see."
While High-Kut customers like to sit inside at night, Nguyen said it would be good to have more outside seating for their daytime customers.
"I suggested that a conversation area like the one near the corner of Guyton St would be good to have at our end of the Avenue.
"That way, customers from all the cafes and restaurants in the area could use it."
Nguyen said she liked the ideas for overhead lighting and artwork that have been suggested.
Young said the vision the group developed at the first workshop, co-facilitated by landscape designer Craig Pocock, was for lower Victoria Avenue to become "a destination".
"As the gateway to our central business district, lower Victoria Avenue is ripe for revitalisation. We want to create a space that catches the attention of passers-by and appeals to locals when they're looking for somewhere to socialise and spend time.
"There's a whole range of tactics we can use to create atmosphere and encourage pedestrian activity, whether it's adding greenery, installing seating, painting a large-scale artwork on the road – to link the awa to the main street – or adding hanging artwork or festoon lighting to create a sparkling ceiling to enclose the outdoor area."
The designer will draft three concepts based on ideas and advice from the workshop, and in the new year a second workshop will be held to choose a preferred option to be refined, Young said.
After the second workshop, there will be an opportunity for the wider community to be involved in the project.
A key consideration during the process will be ensuring the changes align with existing services and operations, Young said.
"We're really fortunate here in Whanganui because we've received Innovating Streets funding for not only lower Victoria Ave, but for Drews Ave as well, so we have the chance to develop two inter-related, complementary spaces that will boost Whanganui's profile and make our town centre more people-friendly."
The lower Victoria Ave project is expected to be completed in June 2021, with a community event to celebrate the upgrades.
Pedestrian counters will be used to monitor changes in foot traffic in the area and feedback will be collected on an ongoing basis.
The council has been asked for details of the cost of the project and central government funding allocation. The Government funding covers 90 per cent of the cost.
