ILT forges ahead with multi million-dollar revamp of outlets

The Invercargill Licensing Trust is moving ahead with plans to spend millions of dollars revamping some of its establishments, including the Northern Tavern.

Trust general manager Greg Mulvey said the organisation was finalising concept plans for a redevelopment of the Northern Tavern, budgeted to cost about $3 million, and expects to apply for resource consent in about three months.

Initially the trust had hoped to lodge a consent application for the project in November but that was now likely to be done in February when the architectural plans would be finalised.

Plans to demolish the Southland Tavern and build a new bar, at a cost of about $2.1 million, were also progressing and a consent application was expected to be filed in about three months, Mr Mulvey said. Invercargill bar the Shack, in Don St, is to close, with the final date of trading on December 27. None of the staff would lose their jobs and had been offered positions at other establishments, he said.

The Shack is making way for a new cafe-bar entertainment venue expected to cost about $1.5 million, which will be located in the former Deka building in Dee St. The trust hoped to file for resource consent for the new bar, aimed at the under-30s, about Christmas, he said. Work on the new bar is expected to start in October.

The Shack will close before the new bar's opening to avoid crowding the market.

The trust was also progressing with a multi million-dollar redevelopment of 20 to 25 luxury apartment-styled rooms to complement the existing hotel and motel rooms at the Ascot Park Hotel.

A major redevelopment of the Waikiwi Tavern is also planned but work on that would start after the other projects. "These redevelopments are about future-proofing these very solid businesses," Mr Mulvey said.