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CityHeart Revitalisation

CityHeart project is Council's response to the development of the city centre - creating a vibrant and distinctive heart for Hamilton. Council made its commitment to it in the 2006 Long-Term Council Community Plan.

In December of 2007, a group of leading experts in economic development, retail, transport and urban design joined together for a week-long design 'hothouse'. The result was a series of new design concepts that offered an exciting new direction for how we connect and interact with our city environment.

The project concepts saw the creation of physical spaces we all want to share. These spaces will encourage economic vitality and begin to reflect our city's unique identity. Public consultation and focus groups soon followed.

The CityHeart project is driven by a need to deliver connectivity and cohesiveness in the central city's future development.

Key factors include:

Expressing Hamilton's creativity and identity

Creation of safe places to which people are naturally drawn

And the linkage of our gathering places through design as well as physicality

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Council engaged a CityHeart alliance team (Hamilton City Council, Reset Urban Design and Downer NZ). The project team has successfully upgraded Victoria Street (Hood Street to Bryce Street) and is currently constructing the improvements in the Garden Place, Worley Place, Ward Street, and Angelsea Street.

Garden Place Carpark now open!

The new car park entry and exit on Anglesea Street is now operational. Please note that from 3 December the Alexandra Street entry will be permanently closed to allow for the physical work to create the shared space.

Garden Place work underway

Work is currently underway to breathe new life into Hamilton’s Garden Place.

Physical works started in early spring 2010, and will take several months to complete.

The work - in Garden Place and nearby Worley Place - is being carried out by Council contractors, Downer.

On August 11 2010, Hamilton City Councillors supported a concept plan for the city’s central square, giving the green light for the work to start.

Council also backed plans by property owner, Kiwi Income Property Trust, to revamp the western part of Ward Street as part of a $40m upgrade of its Centre Place interests.

There are a number of design improvements for the area, including a new shared lane - allowing for slow moving traffic and pedestrians – connecting Worley Place with Alexandra Street.

Other improvements in Garden Place include removing the curved brick walls and replacing them with open tiered steps for easier access and seating, next to the lawn.

There will be a “pop up” fountain type water feature, a new permanent stage, a new outside reading room for the library, and provision for two modern kiosks.

Greatly improved lighting and colourful seasonally-planted movable flower boxes, are some of the measures to improve ambience. The lawn is to be re-shaped, and mature trees retained.

The plans have allowed space for the city’s popular giant Christmas tree to continue sitting at the Victoria Street entrance in December.

Major works occurred September through to December. Lighter work is being undertaken while the “Summer in Garden Place” programme running.

The project will be completed in time for the Rugby World Cup, in October. The budget for the Garden Place work is $3.7m.

Council has previously approved the removal of the concrete structure covering the Caro Street entrance to the Garden Place car park, and shifting the entrance to Anglesea Street.

It is the first time in 20 years that physical work has been carried out in Garden Place, and marks a new chapter in the life of this city space.