Where's it @ Rangitikei - Should we revitalise Marton Main Street
Thriving town centres are essential for the wellbeing of our communities.
They provide spaces where our community can connect with each other, support economic growth, and provide local services for our communities. To achieve the outcomes sought, significant investment is needed.
Council is already investing in a range of initiatives in Marton and across the district that are proposed to continue:
- Town centre revitalisation projects: Council was successful in receiving an external grant of $200,000 for town centre revitalisation initiatives across Marton, Taihape and Bulls. A project will be completed for each town over the next three years.
- Business support: Council ran earthquake-prone building seminars for building owners in 2023 and are actively supporting business growth.
- Rates remissions: Council has a rates remissions policy aimed at supporting building owners to strengthen earthquake-prone buildings and for business expansion.
- Developing strategy: Council has invested in town centre plans, and the Community Spatial Plan to guide future development of our town centres.
- Maintenance: Council maintains the roads, footpaths, vegetation and open space in our town centres as well as cleaning and waste management.
To build on these initiatives and create transformational change for Marton, Council is proposing to lead town centre revitalisation for Marton through an upgrade of the main street (the exact area will be defined through the initial design phase). The aim of this project is to support town centre revitalisation by improving the space for the local community, supporting local business development, providing a place where the community chooses to go, and attracting visitors.
Revitalisation will be achieved by beautifying the main street, improving the experience for pedestrians, improving traffic flow, providing more spaces for our community to connect with each other, and greening the area. The project aligns with Council's strategic vision, the Community Spatial Plan which identifies town centre revitalisation as a top priority for Marton, and will support community wellbeing. The project will only make changes to public spaces such as footpaths, the road and open spaces and will not redevelop any buildings or private buildings.
Council considers that this change will be a catalyst for revitalisation of buildings in the town centre.
In 2024/25 Council proposes funding $100,000 to develop a plan that will visualise the redevelopment. This is when the community will be able to input into the design and see what a new main street could look like.
Developing the plan will mean Council will be able to see exactly what changes will be made and gain accurate costs of the redevelopment. The long-term plan then proposes including $2 million in 2025/26 to construct the street upgrade. This budget may need to be reviewed once the plan is developed.
Including the funding in the long-term plan for construction, signals to the community that Council is committed to significant investment. When planning the construction Council will work with Marton business owners to ensure any disruptions to their businesses are reduced where possible.
In the long term the street upgrade will support Marton town centre businesses by providing a more attractive place for people to spend time. These capital costs will be met initially through debt, which is consistent with Council's approach for funding projects that have long term benefits. This debt and the interest is then proposed to be repaid on district-wide rates through the Uniform Annual General Charge. This will cost each ratepayer approximately $18 per year. This district-wide system is the same as how Council funds other activities such as the three waters, or the civic centre projects.
We know the town centres in Taihape and Bulls are also facing similar challenges in the main streets. In the short-term, Council will continue to invest in the district-wide initiatives identified above (e.g. rates remission, business support), implement town centre revitalisation projects, and for Taihape, implement the Taihape Town Hall and Library redevelopment.
Following the street upgrade for Marton, Council will consider street upgrades for Bulls and Taihape. Bulls and Taihape are more challenging because the main roads are under the control of NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi.
What do you think we should do?
