Your place, your space

By Rosie Duff

That’s the tagline for ‘The Grand’, a hospitality and visitor hub that’s anticipated to open in Christchurch’s Cathedral Square early next year.

The vision is for a space that Canterbury locals are proud of – think a ‘must-see’ destination for individuals visiting from near and afar. At a grand old age of 140 years, the former Chief Post Office is the sole-survivor of the western end of the square, post-quakes. The building has sat untouched since then, and featured on the council’s “dirty 30” list of sites, branded as ‘barriers’ to the city’s rebuild. Fortunately, strengthening completed in the 1990s allowed the building to be preserved. The present restoration job is being completed with the financial aid of a $900,000 landmark heritage grant from the city council, and includes replacing the rooftop as well as the clock tower, along with the internal and external walls. While The Grand Cathedral Square Limited will own and operate businesses occupying the Old Chief Post Office Building, they do not own the property itself – with the current lease locked in for 25-years. As a significant piece of the city’s fabric, the building makes the ideal venue for the new development, which is set to house a French patisserie, gathering area, i-SITE visitor centre, plus a restaurant and bar venue. The top floor will reportedly be host to a pastry school, art gallery and an unmatched tasting experience showcasing the South Island’s finest wine, cheese and meat. The Grand’s full information memorandum details its plans to make use of alternative supply chains which will be localised as much as possible. Menu development for the hospitality venues will be based on local procurement, with less reliance on imported ingredients. Christchurch entrepreneur and director Darin Rainbird, proposes that The Grand has the ability to fuse together the city’s latest and greatest spots. “Cathedral Square has always been a focal point for Christchurch. “There are some exciting developments that have brought more people back into the CBD, but there’s very little linkage between them. “So being right in the centre, we feel that The Grand can bring together the likes of the new Regent Street Precinct, The Terrace, The Crossing, and the soon to be completed Cathedral and be that vibrant central space for the people. “Given our location, our team and the developments that are planned around Cathedral Square, we believe we are well positioned to be part of and add to the revitalisation of our city,” Darin says. A key driver of this project has been the enthusiastic support from the public, so accordingly, “we want it to be owned by this community,” the official website reads. To fund the redevelopment, the team behind The Grand are raising a minimum of $800,000 and a maximum of $2 million through an equity crowdfunding campaign on PledgeMe. Darin explains that this provides locals with a chance to secure a piece of Christchurch’s history and future. “The crowdfunding option allows us to give everyone the opportunity to participate if they want to. “We had over 460 sign-ups to our investor pre-registration list, so we know there are a lot of people who may still want to be part of our journey. “We’d love to see them get on board!” Rainbird adds. The campaign launched on September 23 and $406,213 dollars has been raised thus far and the offer will officially close on October 27. The Grand’s full information memorandum addresses the potential challenges the development faces, which range from a delayed opening date due to construction and fit-out delays, through to loss of revenue as a consequence of COVID-19 related alert level changes. Risks that are being mitigated through weekly meetings with the construction company’s project manager and the landlord, and a robust online purchasing presence their PledgeMe page reads. To combat the current worker shortage a strong customer service programme and staff review system is also being implemented with quality being a key focus point. All going to plan, Cantabrians should expect to see The Grand open to the public in February next year. CT

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