The main shopping Area in South Invercargill located on the corner of Elles and Martin Street recently got an amazing facelift utilising a combination of hard landscaping materials, Nubrik clay paving, natural stone and Terrazzo Veneto paving.

What sets this contract apart from the others, this is a community driven initiative. The project was driven by South Alive. South Alive – a grass-roots group based in SouthCity,  approached Craig Pocock from Pocock Design Environment  .They asked him to run stakeholder workshops and create a neighbourhood master plan that went beyond the typical street upgrade. The South City project was community driven.

The South City Shopping Area Action Group is now run by the South Alive Board of Trustees due to the size and complexity of its main projects.

Through a series of workshops and public meetings that Pocock from and South Alive convened, local people identified priorities to rejuvenate South Invercargill – to make it look and function better, and build community pride, participation, identity and resourcefulness.

Following the community master plan stage, Design Environment was commissioned to develop a streetscape design. The plan delineated paved footpaths and created pocket parks. Lighting was updated, including a light gateway in which panels set atop 10m-high light poles emit a glow, reminiscent of the Aurora Australis. As the project advanced, occupancy of the shops changed. “Hairdressers, a pharmacy and food shops gradually replaced some of the anti-social retail and there is now no vacant retail space.”

Results of annual community research on changes in attitudes and levels of pride, carried out with minimum of 210 South Invercargill respondents, show that South Alive has made a big difference. Pride in the urban environment has increased from 35 percent to 82.5 percent in the last three years.

For more info, the project features prominently in Landscape Architecture Summer 2015

• Architect: Pocock Design Environment
• Main Contractor: Fulton Hogan
• Paviour: LW Landscaping
• Paver: Horizon Nubrik Paving Horizon Honed Terrazzo Veneto and  Natural Stone Paving  
• Bedding & Mortar: The Instarmac range