Long-awaited work to upgrade Christchurch's Cathedral Square is finally under way.
The upgrade is part of a $3.6 million project to relevel the ground, lay new paving and install additional lighting and landscaping.
The City Council's hoping it will encourage more people to venture into the central city, and re-establish it as the beating heart of Christchurch.
Cathedral Square trader David King says that while he wasn't a great fan of the grey tiles being reinstalled, he said anything that helps attract more people into the central city is good.
He says stall operators have had a hard time recently, but they were expecting things to get better when the first cruise ship tourists returned.
The square's unsightly toilet block will be temporarily relocated to a paved area outside the convention centre, Te Pae, until a permanent site is found.
The project is expected to take about three months to complete.
- By Geoff Sloan
- Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
