RE-BUILDING NAPIER

Hokitika Guardian, 29 March 1933, Page 8

RE-BUILDING NAPIER

SATISFACTORY PROGRESS

NEW SHOPS IN OCCUPATION

NAPIER ,March 27

Although building activities in the town area of Napier have been less marked during the past two or three months, new shops are bring completed and occupied at a satisfactory rate and the greater portion of the rebuilding programme nocssary as u result cf the earthquake may now Ac considered to have been complete 1. There are still some vacant sections in Hastings, Tennyson and Emerson Streets, causing gaps-in the lines of shop frontages, hut these are in the very great minority. There are some property owners who are not likely to be able to build on their vacant sections for an indefinite period. In some instances owners have instructed architects to prepare preliminary plans for buildings, but have not been able to arrange the necessary finance to have them carried cat ..

At present 170 individual shops.have been erected in buildings in the .main shoping area. Of that numb 1 )* 137 are occupied by tenants and <3 the,remaining 33 some are to be occupied in the next week or so. The-o are 20 shops now in the course of erection tho majority of these also having been let to tenants .

Dickens Street and Clive and Memorial Squares, which for the' fir.-r. 13 months after the earthquake cmupiised the principal shopping area of the ton'll are now comparatively JiMiied, as shopkeepers have moved hack to the former business .area. Workm/m are engaged in the demolition of the block of temporary shops in Memo* i'll Square and are to commence similar activities in the near future in 1 live ■Square.