Re:START and Ballantynes

October 29 was a critical date on the Canterbury calendar this year – especially if you were involved in Re:START or the part rebuild of Ballantynes.

Leighs Construction was engaged on both projects, the construction of the temporary shopping precinct in Cashel Mall and the rebuild work for Ballantynes. Full credit goes to all Leighs staff who worked solidly on these projects and had the satisfaction of seeing them both come in on time.

Thousands of Christchurch shoppers have since visited the precinct and the 27 stores housed in the converted shipping containers are being well-supported by the community, as is Ballantynes whose clientele who are happy to be back in the iconic central city store.

The area represents a new beginning for Christchurch’s quake-ravaged CBD, and the good news is that once the landowners decide to build replacement buildings, the relocatable container precinct will be able to be picked up and placed somewhere else in the city.

It has been a new experience for everyone – contractors and the public alike – and a taste of things to come. If it has done nothing else, it has shown Christchurch and New Zealand how adaptable Cantabrians are, and how progressive our city is bound to be.