Positivity is welcome, but it should come with a dose of reality. Empty shops remain a very visible feature of the CBD, and decades of plans and strategies have failed to reverse the decline.
The Council has produced a
multitude of reports: the City Core Precinct Plan, Hīhīaua Precinct Plan,
Waterfront Precinct Plan, Weekend and Night Time Economy Strategy, Whangārei
20/20 Momentum, Whangārei City Centre Plan, Whangārei Complete Streets
Masterplan and Streetscape Design Manual, an Inner City Living Programme — and
more.
Some of these initiatives date
back decades and have been refreshed or replaced as successive councils have
sought to identify the cause and find a solution. Too often, however, the
response seems to be more chit-chat, another plan, another strategy, and
another round of consultants producing beautifully illustrated documents and scale
models. The current John Street revitalisation proposal — described as a
“terrible idea” by affected businesspeople — is a case in point.
Good-news stories may promote a
feel-good confidence, but ultimately the health of the CBD needs to be measured
by results. The real good news stories will arrive when the numbers
start moving in the right direction: more pedestrians, stronger retail sales
and fewer empty shops.