Developers put up one plan for Garden Place, and architect Brian Squair has released another.

A design rival has emerged for a controversial remodel of Hamilton's Garden Place.

The man behind it, Chow:Hill director Brian Squair, says he's not touting for work but Hamilton could have bigger goals for its central-city square.

Hamilton City Council is proposing an almost $4 million spend on reworking Garden Place, though the deputy mayor says it's "absolutely not done and dusted".

BRIAN SQUAIR/SUPPLIED Architect Brian Squair started the design after "significant stakeholders" in the central city approached him.

It started with a pitch from local developers Matt Stark and Steve McLennan, and Brian White of Edwards White Architects.

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The trio put money into plans featuring shared lanes for cars and pedestrians, play equipment, 40 car parks, and new public art.

DOMINICO ZAPATA/STUFF Though he's done a design, Chow:Hill's Brian Squair thinks council would be better off spending on Garden Place events before doing physical work.

But Squair, an architect, has ideas including outdoor cafes and a sculpture trail.

"[The design] is purely to say maybe there's another way," he said. "Maybe we need to think a bit more visionary ... which then puts a pause button on rushing headlong into spending money."

Squair would like council to pause physical works and spend on events to bring people to Garden Place.

"If it's a miserable failure, no-one wants to use Garden Place so why spend anything on it after that. I don't think it will be a failure."

Squair was approached by "significant stakeholders" in the central city and penned his design mid-2017.

It features curved paths criss-crossing the square, sculptures alongside one, a theatre or movie spot, and more green space - and people told him they didn't want cars in the square.

BRIAN SQUAIR/SUPPLIED The design was released to show there could be another way to improve Garden Place, Squair says.

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Squair is quick to say he respects the developers' ideas but said he wasn't convinced the design was "doing anything more than throwing a couple of slip lanes for cars and a few car parks and rearranging stuff".

He hasn't put a dollar figure on his own plan but said it could be completed in stages.

SUPPLIED This design - from Hamilton property investors Matt Stark, Steve McLennan and architect Brian White - has already been put to Hamilton City councillors (file photo).

Stark, one of the developers behind the original proposal, has talked over both concepts with Squair.

"It's a public space and it's for the people," Stark said, "the more ideas, the better".

Stark is ambitious but said the plan should be affordable for ratepayers.

You could do a $200m design, he said, "but then it never happens".

The developers' plan would cost the ratepayers $3m tops, he said, and they would raise $800,000 to $1mprivately.

Car parking could add revenue.

A playground would draw in part of the population, he said, and good seating would encourage people to eat lunch in the square, as he often does.

In early December, Hamilton City councillors voted 7-5 to put the developers' idea out for public consultation.

A staff report said it would cost $3.95m in capital expenditure - including a mini destination playground - and $44,500 a year for added operating costs.

The decision was almost overturned near the end of a days-long meeting in December, when councillors tried to slash the proposed rates increase.

Mayor Andrew King hadn't seen Squair's design but said the developers had presented a package.

They scoped and priced their plan, offered to provide or raise some money, and to run the project.

"If Brian was prepared to do that, we would certainly look at it."

Garden Place is broken, King said, and needs more than $2 shops and dairies in the buildings around it.

Auckland used shared spaces - like what the developers proposed for Garden Place - to good effect in the Fort Street area in Auckland, he said.

"We've got an opportunity here to do something."

This is "absolutely not done and dusted", Deputy Mayor Martin Gallagher said.

He hadn't seen Squair's design but knew of his professional reputation.

Gallagher voted to put the current plan out for public consultation but wasn't giving much away about what he thought.

He's looking forward to submissions, especially from the business community, and would anticipate "an open process of proposals" if council signs off on money for a remodel.

But Councillor Angela O'Leary doesn't agree with the revamp.

Until the right retailers surround the square, "you may as well just burn ratepayers' money", Councillor Angela O'Leary said.

"It will look a bit prettier but it's not going to solve the problem."

Instead, she favours council getting partners to liven up the area up with events, and said she's discussed that with the Hamilton Central Business Association.