Preparation work is starting on creating a new public square in the CBD on Monday.

The statue of Bob Fitzsimmons will be taking a short break from his podium during the improvement works.

For its own safety, the statue created by Margriet Windhausen and donated to the people of Timaru by Sir Robert Jones in 1987, as well as the plaques commemorating the world-famous boxer, will go into storage while the works take place.

We will also be removing and replacing the three trees at the back of the current square to better open up the space. The trees were assessed by an arborist and had outgrown their environment, which was causing them health problems.

The tree in the back corner was causing issues with its roots lifting the pavers and the parking area behind the greenspace. The centre tree’s limbs are resting on the two beside it and have a high risk of falling off when the others are removed. And the other tree closest to the toilets is growing over the toilet block and has girdled root.

Work will begin on the site on Monday, we’ll have updates here as the project progresses.