At an extraordinary performance, policy and partnerships committee meeting yesterday, councillors discussed the 79 submissions received as part of its consultation on a proposal to invest a further $7.5 million in the development and provide a $22.5 million short-term loan for it.
It has also proposed investing an extra $13.3 million in its streetscape upgrades, to create more vibrancy and connection between Don, Kelvin and Esk Sts.
Invercargill Mayor Sir Tim Shadbolt said there was an attitude among the submitters that they just wanted the job done.
His comments were supported by mana whenua representative Evelyn Cook who said the council would be remiss if it did not hear its own ratepayers.
"They wanted it done. We have that goodwill, we have that energy and we need to honour it."
Cr Rebecca Amundsen agreed the council should take into consideration the feedback, but raised concerns about the risks the project continued to present.
She said almost all of the risks identified in the beginning of the project came to fruition and she worried this could continue.
For example, many businesses were moving to the development or to other areas, leaving premium spaces vacant.
"I see that as potentially quite detrimental to the city, especially if our goal is around the community outcome, enhancing the entire CBD and it is not purely focused on the shopping mall."
Chairman Darren Ludlow said a lot of things were not in play when council made the decision, including a Covid-19 pandemic and tensions in the northern hemisphere with the Russia and Ukraine conflict.
Cr Marcus Lush also raised concerns for the whole situation.
He said when the council made the decision he was not an elected member but he struggled to back the project as for him it was a bad idea from the beginning.
A tour through the development left him heartbroken because it seemed like a "giant box for a giant Farmers".
The council kept being involved in bad commercial deals, he said.
"There is no vision. We seem to go from bad commercial decision to bad commercial decision and I can’t work out when we’re going to stop. I think we need to blow the whole thing up, work around what the value is and get ourselves out of the whole deal."
Despite the heated comments, all councillors voted in support of the increased investment and the short loan in order to have the development completed.
Only Cr Nobby Clark voted against council investing $13.3 million in streetscape upgrades.
