She says the future is converting increasingly empty commercial buildings into apartments to rent and own, and “a walkable, liveable neighbourhood where you can get most of the stuff you need to have a decent life within 15 minutes of active travel . and public transport”. Figures from commercial real estate firm Colliers International show empty commercial space in the capital grew almost 17 per cent in the year to December 2020, from 84,000sqm to 98,000 sqm.
MONIQUE FORD / STUFF/Stuff
Isabella Cawthorn, from Talk Wellington, says more people living in the city centre will mean even more life and vibrancy in the capital. Developers are leading the way in filling that space, and the Wellington City Council has become a fast follower on the back of the Government’s National Policy Statement on Urban Development promoting city intensification and the council’s Planning for Growth and Draft Spatial Plan strategies, which aim to find room for between 50,000 and 80,000 mor