Vibrant hub envisioned in place of dilapidation

A lane-way of faded buildings, rusted pipes and graffiti could be Dunedin’s next big thing. Chris Morris reports.

Cold wind blows down the Bond St lane-way.

It wafts over cracked and broken asphalt, past the entrances to empty and burnt-out buildings, and whistles through piles of rubbish and rusted steel scattered along the path.

The few sightseers who venture down the passage rug up as they seek out the street art splashed in its corners.

And high above their heads, windows barred like prison cells stare back, breaking the faded facades of brick buildings looming over them.

It is a dilapidated sight, but where some might see neglect, the Dunedin City Council and a group of business and building owners are picturing a vibrant hub breathing new life into the area.

The council last week revealed a new plan to encourage development in the lane-way, linking Police and Bond Sts, as part of the next phase of the warehouse precinct’s regeneration.

Council urban design team leader Crystal Filep said plans for the laneway’s development were likely to be included in public consultation on the next phase of warehouse precinct’s regeneration.

The consultation was expected to start next month, but initial talks with building and business owners suggested there was support to explore the idea, she said.

"At this stage it’s looking, more or less, like something can go through," she said.

That could pave the way for private investment in the lane-way, encouraged by the council, which would pay for improved paving, lighting and other amenities, she said.

Ideas included a new brewery, urban winery, cafe and other projects, which were all being discussed by private parties, she said.

The partnership approach was a model that had worked well in Melbourne and, in Dunedin, had already helped breathe new life into the warehouse precinct, she said.

And, when the Otago Daily Times visited the Bond St lane-way on Thursday, it found a seemingly forgotten service alleyway brimming with potential.

The four-storey  buildings face Princes St, but step down at the back to the lower-level lane-way running parallel with it.

And, while the buildings show their good side to Princes St, from the lane-way their age, flecked paint and bare bricks are on full display.

That includes the still burnt-out remains of the fire-damaged building at 389 Princes St, covered in tarpaulins and full of wreckage, despite new plans for its redevelopment.

Others are still home to businesses such as Sonntag Fox Electric, whose vehicles and staff zoom in and out of the lane, or smaller boutique operations, such as a screen printing business next door.

Sonntag staff were not available to comment, but the ODT found Blair Hesp, the managing director of medical communications company Kainic Medical, working from a small office further down the lane-way.

He had been attracted by the laneway’s unique environment, and now used images of it to brand and promote his business, he said.

The city’s warehouse precinct redevelopment drive had been a huge success, and any plans to do the same in the lane-way were "quite exciting", he said.

"I think it’s a fantastic idea, in terms of revitalising this part of town," he said.

Another building owner, John Allen, of Northland, said he also favoured the idea.

Building owners had met in the past to discuss the concept with the council’s former urban design team leader, Dr Glen Hazelton, "and it seems people are supportive".

"It would certainly tidy up something that’s not terribly sort of acceptable at the moment and, if it worked, it might make it useful," he said.

Ms Filep stressed any development would need buy-in from owners with a stake in the area.

If it progressed, the council’s role would be "quite simple", she said.

"We wouldn’t want to do up the area too much, because it’s already really great and you don’t want to lose that ... That makes it special as it is," she said.

Development of the lane-way would help link the warehouse precinct with Princes St, drawing more people in, "as well as providing an amenity that doesn’t exist in Dunedin very much yet", she said.

But it could also be just the start, as the DCC had already begun working to identify other potential sites for similar lane-way-style developments across the city, she said.

"This would be the first step in a long effort to try and look at all of the possible usable spaces in Dunedin ... and what potential is there," she said.