Key Ashburton retailers are opposed to a new CBD market day, saying further “restricted trading’’ is not what they need.
The proposed Ashburton Market Day would replace the now defunct Boulevard Day, but the application from organiser Carol Johns would mean the temporary closure of East Street, Burnett Street, and Tancred Street on Monday, September 26.
Her proposal has received three objections, which would now go before the Ashburton District Council, with Johns to front Wednesday's hearing.
Ashburton Paper Plus owner Terry McNabb said he doesn’t have a problem with a market day, but “I do have a problem with holding it on the street”.
“For a few years now, we have had these days where the roads in the CBD get closed off, but all we are doing is inviting out-of-town stallholders to park up outside our doors for the day.
“That does not help any of the locally owned and operated businesses in that area.”
McNabb said his business has had nothing but disruption for two years from Covid, the CBD redevelopment, and now a new demolition next door.
He said he operated two essential service businesses inside Paper Plus, those being NZ Post and AA Driver & Vehicle Licensing, which served a lot of elderly customers whose access would be impacted.
Bob McDonald, from Health 2000 in the Arcade, has submitted an objection on behalf of 15 CBD businesses that, like McNabb, “believe another day with restricted trading is not beneficial for the CBD”.
Because of the CBD’s new one-way system, McDonald said closing East Street would “effectively shut down the whole CBD”.
McDonald and Sue Cooper used to run the popular CBD Boulevard Day, which was unable to be held in 2020 because of Covid-19 restrictions.
It then had to be held at the Ashburton Domain last year due to the CBD being a construction zone, which was the first time in 45 years it was held outside of the inner-city location.
He and Cooper hoped to find someone new to take over the running of the Boulevard Day this year, but that hasn’t happened.
That’s why Johns, who has previously run events on the same day as Boulevard Day and who is standing for a seat on the council in the local election, has stepped up to fill the void.
Her Ashburton Market Day proposal now falls to the council, with the hearing taking place at 9am on Wednesday.

• By Jonathan Leask