Mountain Scene
December 18, 2020
By PHILIP CHANDLER
Coming on top of Covid border closures, some retailers fear an impending dig-up of Queenstown’s town centre could put them under.
Council’s about to start a $60 million CBD street upgrade a ‘shovel-ready’ project it’s co-funding with the government.
Retailers in Upper Beach Street, already affected by the O’Connells shopping centre redevelopment, believe the project, running from late summer till early winter, could be the deathknell for their already-stretched businesses.
‘‘It’s out of the frying pan and into the fire,’’ Love Chicken restaurateur Darren Lovell says.
Those spoken to all believe the beautification project will benefit them in the long term, but are calling for rates relief in the interim.