Nelson City Council will soon be calling for Expressions of Interest (EOI) for three City Centre properties with the goal of revitalising the City Centre.

Chief Executive Nigel Philpott says a common theme for feedback at the recent City Centre Revitalisation Summit was that Council should use its property portfolio to leverage redevelopment opportunities.

“This is part of a series of Council-led initiatives that are designed to revitalise our city centre and enable more City Centre housing.

“The Bridge to Better project’s water infrastructure upgrade removes many of the hurdles developers face when they are looking to invest in our City. We’re going into this with an open mind and I’m looking forwarded to seeing the ways proposals might bring new life to our City Centre.”

The three properties are:

42 Rutherford Street

25 to 27 Bridge Street

3 Halifax Street – available for long-term lease only

42 Rutherford Street was due to be sold to Kāinga Ora for social and affordable housing, however this development has not gone ahead. The site is currently leased as a café.

Council purchased 25 – 27 Bridge Street in 2022 for urban development or transport purposes. The site is currently used as the bus interchange, which will move to Millers Acre in June 2025 (pending NZTA funding confirmation).

3 Halifax Street is the site of the Refinery building. The land is held as an endowment for the benefit of the City of Nelson under the Nelson Foreshore Reserves Act 1889. This means that without an Act of Parliament authorising purchase of the site, it can only be offered as a long-term lease.

An Expression of Interest information pack will be made available in July 2024 and applicants will be able to register their interest via Shape Nelson.

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