Nelson City Council has purchased 41 Halifax Street, adjacent to Millers Acre, for $970,000 to support the development of the new central city bus hub.

Elected members voted to purchase the property at a confidential meeting on 3 April and bid at auction on the property, which has a Capital Value of $1.04 million. The sale has now settled. The commercial building on the site will be removed and the area turned into a carpark.

Nelson Mayor Nick Smith says the development of a new bus hub at Millers Acre is an important part of upgrading Nelson’s public transport and visitor services.

“This land purchase better enables us to make it a hub for not just the Council bus service but also InterCity, tourism coaches and other operators. The extra space means we can improve the layout of the bus hub, improve access for the adjacent businesses and provide about 26 carparks.”

The new hub not only provides more parking than the original plan that combined the bus hub and carparking in Millers Acre, it also improves safety by separating the bus manoeuvring areas. Council will be seeking part funding from Waka Kotahi in support of the new hub.

Mayor Nick says the upgrade of Nelson’s bus network on 1 August 2023, with more frequent services, new destinations such as Motueka and Wakefield, and an all-electric fleet, is a major step forward for the region’s public transport. The upgraded bus service is a major undertaking with many moving parts and there will inevitably be some bumps in the road over issues such as bus stops and parking. Purchasing this Halifax Street site for into a car park and maximising the space for the new bus hub is an example of the sort of solutions we will be looking for.

Council staff will be working with adjacent businesses and bus operators to refine the design. It is hoped that construction can begin in 2024 for completion in 2025.

“This is an exciting project to provide a vibrant transport and tourism hub at Millers Acre with the bus interchange, the updated DOC information centre and bike rental business. I am also wanting Council to consider a combined bus ticketing office and replacement i-SITE for the site,” Mayor Nick says.

“The purchase of this property for parking reflects my approach to transport of working to improve all modes of transport. It is not about buses or bikes or cars but improving the infrastructure to create a more vibrant city and support more transport choices.”

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