Presentation of the city ‘embarrassing’

Invercargill residents say the city is looking shabby and are embarrassed by its state.

 

Dee St retailer Anne Marie Thomas said despite the city promotion, the city's presentation appeared to be going backwards instead of improving.

 

"There's rubbish in the gutters ... it's embarrassing ... and we used to have beautiful city.

 

"It seems that council's only worried about the block of Esk St. They're putting everything into there. Everyone else has been neglected.

 

"We all pay rates. We all expect our city to have water, roading, (and) at least look presentable to the outside world."

 

For the next three months the city would be hosting multiple national and international events that would bring in thousands of visitors, she said. 

 

The city's Tay St entrance had long grass and weeds in its centre plots.

 

"It's like they've given the contract to the cheapest beggars on the plant and it looks like it."

 

A complaint has been lodged with the council, but she has not yet received a response.

 

Ms Thomas said it was not just the entrance to the city but also the Dee-Spey St area that was being particularly impacted by the abandoned burnt-out arcade building.

 

Two shops in the vicinity have closed in the past four weeks.

 

She believed the area had taken on a seedy nature and there were too many vape shops.

 

Woolworld store owner Mary Davenport said she liked how the northern area of the CBD was developing into an "artsy" fringe-culture area of destination shops which offered cheaper rents than the  Kelvin-Esk St precinct.

 

"For me, it's becoming a quirky area, which is kind of cool.

 

"I always think this is a really lovely place, it's only that (fire-damaged) Briscoes building that bugs the hell out of me _ with the weeds in particular. I don't feel safe in that walk-through thing."

 

Ms Davenport also said she was suffering with allergy problems because of the weeds and long grass.

 

Invercargill-raised Alison Greenwood, who was visiting the city  from the United Kingdom, said she believed the city was looking very attractive.

 

"Apart from the shop down the road that's burnt out, I thought it looked tidy and new, but I wouldn't say scruffy or unkempt  or anything else."

 

However, she did notice multiple shops were empty.

 

Another Dee St  shop owner, who asked to not be named, agreed the town's presentation could be improved. She believed the hazardous fire-damaged building contributed to the downturn in northern CBD foot traffic.

 

The council needed to deal with the amount of weeds growing on and around the former Briscoes building, she said.

 

The Invercargill City Council was approached for comment but was unable to respond by deadline.

 

 - By Toni McDonald