People are reporting more vacancies in buildings across Tauranga's CBD. Piccadilly Arcade chair Dave Bridgens is one CBD dweller who has noticed more vacant buildings in the last few months – and he's not alone.

Social media users have taken to TikTok to discuss the issue too, with one video garnering more than 133,000 views in five days.

'No seriously, what happened to Tauranga?” a post on the video platform reads, which shows multiple buildings for lease in the city's Central Business District.

'Why pay $10 parking when you can pay nothing to go to Bayfair or The Lakes,” one user comments.

Dave says Tauranga City Council's 'latest works and actions certainly haven't helped the situation”.

'There are a large number of parks being taken up for redevelopment, and there is a continued mess caused in Elizabeth St and Devonport Rd in regards to the Farmers redevelopment,” says Dave.

'Cabbages & Kings is a [vacancy] which has just come up. The situation certainly isn't getting any better. In regards to council making parking paid, that doesn't help – and the demolition of the old Westpac building for more parks has been going on for well over 12 months.

'I know some council people will argue employees use the current free parking spaces, and although that is true, they must understand that employees working in the CBD are also customers to businesses in the CBD. This is often forgotten.”

Dave adds although he thinks the issue is going to take 'some time” to resolve, he does see 'a light at the end of the tunnel” with Elizabeth St apartments opening, along with the new council building.

'But this could all take another 18 months to two years to happen.”

On immediate fixes for the CBD, Dave says the council could 'reduce fees in the parking buildings” and reduce rates in the CBD, which he says are 'very high” at present.

According to Tauranga City Council, the occupancy rate in Tauranga's CBD has seen a 1.4 per cent decrease since 2019.

TCC general manager of city development and partnerships Gareth Wallis says 'a number of historical issues” have led the city centre to being what it is today.

'This includes the need to strengthen or redevelop buildings after they were classed as earthquake-prone, an increase in the presence of large-scale suburban shopping centres, the onset of Covid-19, and indecision by previous councils about progressing with long-held plans for the city centre.”

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