Rejuvenation of inner-city urged

5:18 pm on 7 October 2010

The head of Ballantyne's says last month's earthquake has provided the opportunity to rejuvenate Christchurch's decaying inner-city.

Managing director Richard Ballantyne has been a consistently vocal supporter of a strong central business district, which has waned in recent decades with many retailers deciding to shift to suburban malls.

He says the Christchurch City Council and other administrators should actively promote inner city communities, which in turn, would spark a return of retailers and services.

"This is a one off opportunity to do some great things in the city. Inner city living is going to be an important factor in this," Mr Ballantyne said.

"A strong shopping centre is needed in central Christchurch - the city has become too spread and it needed to be compacted."