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In a move to support cafes and restaurants, Hamilton City Council is recommending to change an annual fee for outdoor dining and signage to once every three years.
At today’s Community and Natural Environment Committee meeting
(18 February), the committee made a unanimous recommendation which means businesses who want to use the space outside their store for dining or signage will save time and money by only needing to apply every three years.
The permit process is to make sure there is balance between city vibrancy, customer experience, consistency of rules and accessibility for footpath users.
Committee Deputy Chair Anna Casey-Cox hopes this will encourage more places to offer outdoor dining.
“This is a small step to show that Council appreciates what these businesses do for our city and Hamiltonians. We hope to see even more businesses using outdoor dining and creating a real sense of atmosphere and buzz.”
Alcohol sellers should not get any ratepayer “subsidy” for the cost of licensing fees, says a former deputy mayor who’s labelled the practice “obscene and criminal”.
Firing up - a former deputy mayor is arguing booze outlets shouldn’t get any ratepayer subsidisation of their alcohol licensing fees, despite concerns from some hospitality outlets.
Gordon Chesterman’s comments come in response to council plans to raise fees by 34% across the board next year, by 20% the year after and 3% in subsequent years to achieve a “user pays” system.
His views have gained some support from one bar owner but are questioned strongly by several others.
Police in Hamilton could take a harder line on those found in possession of stolen shopping trolleys, but blanket arrests are probably not the way to go, says Hamilton City councillor Sarah Thomson.
Thomson’s views were also shared by Hamilton Central Business Association general manager Vanessa Williams after police in Rotorua arrested 13 people and returned 45 trolleys to local supermarkets after a three-day operation.
“Operation Trolley” was executed in an effort to protect businesses from anti-social and unlawful behaviour between January 21 and 23, after police received complaints about homeless people in possession of trolleys intimidating people in Rotorua’s central city.
Hamilton City Council is asking the community for feedback on a proposal to address a financial imbalance in alcohol licensing costs.
Currently, the fees set by legislation have not increased in more than 11 years and do not cover the full costs of licensing activities. As a result, ratepayers have been subsidising these costs by up to 29% and this is expected to grow year on year. Council is proposing to introduce an Alcohol Fees Bylaw that would reduce the ratepayer subsidy to 5%.
About two hectares - four years’ supply of office space - will be on the market in the coming year. This includes the former Fonterra building on London St after their staged-exit.
A huge piece of Hamilton real estate will remain empty for at least two years, as Fonterra staff make their staged exit out of the London St building by 2027.
After that - possibilities for the building include a hotel, student accommodation, mix of retail-office-residential, long term rental accommodation... or it could simply become part of Hamilton Central’s vacant concrete jungle.
The building is owned by Primeproperty Group (PPG) and this week the company announced that work has begun to upgrade the office space from “somewhere between Grade B and C” to A Grade.
As the Waikato Regional Theatre slowly but surely takes shape in downtown Hamilton, passers-by suddenly have a burning question: What’s that big black box sitting on top of it for?
The massive box-shaped structure is currently 500 tonnes of structural steel that, when completed, will be home to the theatre’s fly tower. Which, of course, begs the question: What’s a fly tower?
An essential element of “proper” theatres, fly towers are effectively big lofts that sit over the stage and from which pieces of scenery are hung.
Twenty-six businesses had wins - some more than one - at the Wednesday evening event at 18 London Street.
Stark Properties is developing the building into versatile commercial spaces but, for the awards, Royal Lab turned it into a high-end jazz bar. Sultry notes from Joe Mac Band filled the sixth floor as attendees enjoyed 360-degree views of the city and the Waikato River.
With a record 137 entries in 2024, general manager Vanessa Williams of Hamilton Central Business Association said she felt incredibly excited about the evening of recognition and celebration.
“This event is a testament to the resilience and perseverance of our local businesses, and we are proud to play a part in celebrating them.”
A central Hamilton spot that’s been mostly vacant for years is earmarked for a six-storey development.Resource consent has been granted for a 20,000m² building next to Centre Place, at the corner of Ward and Victoria Street and Tainui Group says it’s talking to potential tenants.The site has spent years fenced off with Tainui branded boards and currently comprises an empty lot and the P&M plaza building, which will be removed in preparation for the new development.
Senior Sergeant Scott McKenzie said the survey is the first few step police are taking to develop a safety programme for the CBD. The initiative was prompted after stakeholders told police that they have seen a rise in antisocial behaviour, which was confirmed by the survey results.
A $100 million Pullman hotel development has been unveiled for Hamilton’s CBD, with work underway and an expected 2026 opening.The 191-bed hotel over 13 levels will involve a retro-fit of the current Mistry Centre, Hamilton’s tallest building at 42-48 Ward St and within the Centre Place shopping area.
The third office tower in Union Square, Hamilton’s newest central business precinct, is likely to get underway in the next six months.Located on a corner block that includes Anglesea, Hood and Alexandra streets, the multi-level development will eventually be made up of five builds, combining 23,000m2 of office space with a number of retail and community spaces including a wellness centre.
A Hamilton company is poised to spread around the globe after selling to a big international firm - and with the founders “too young to retire” yet.Aware Group, based in London St, Hamilton has been bought by Amsterdam business transformation partner, HSO.Brandon Hutcheson and Jourdan Templeton, now 32, set the company up eight years ago and their first customer was Microsoft.
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