Green light for Johnsonville mega-mall
By DAVE BURGESS and MATT CALMAN - The Dominion Post
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The $100 million-plus redevelopment of Johnsonville Shopping Centre has been given the green light, but there is disagreement over the impact it will have on other shopping strips, including those in central Wellington.
Commissioners issued their decision last night, allowing the mall to be transformed by DNZ Property Group into more than 100 shops on two levels, spread over 34,000 square metres.
DNZ retail development general manager Alan McKinnon said he was delighted with the decision but would not say when work would start.
It will be done in two stages, the first of which will see the redevelopment of the existing centre. Shops now fronting Johnsonville Rd and the eastern end of Broderick Rd will be retained.
A separate four-level car park will be built in the southwest corner of the site, which will also include shops and a gym.
Stage two has consent for the next 10 years and would see the redevelopment of those shops in Johnsonville Rd and Broderick Rd not touched during the first stage, and a rooftop car park.
Once the mall is up and running, it is estimated that it will generate up to $12.8m a year for the Wellington economy and add an extra 200 fulltime jobs.
A report prepared for the developer last year showed that more than $44m of consumer spending would move to Johnsonville in the first year of operation from Wellington's central retail area – from Lambton Quay to the Embassy Theatre, Manners Mall, Cuba St and Thorndon.
Wellington City Council's urban development and transport leader Andy Foster said that, despite this, the council supported the mega-mall project.
"The economic assessment does say that it will have some impact but it also says the CBD will recover quite quickly and carry on growing." The assessment said full economic recovery of the city's retail centre was expected within three years.
Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce chief executive Charles Finny was positive about the jobs that the new mall would provide and said competition was a good thing for businesses.
"I know a number of people were worried about what impact it would have on the wider retail industry in the sector, but we are very confident that we have a very resilient retail sector."
However, Kirkcaldie & Stains managing director John Milford said some shops could be forced out of business.
"There is only a certain amount of retail dollars spent and if it is spent there [Johnsonville] it is not spent in the Golden Mile. That's got to put some businesses at risk."
Fletcher Construction Wellington region manager Richard Coupe said the revamp would keep tradesmen busy for 2 1/2 years. "It would be the largest commercial project ... in Wellington to go ahead within the next year."
Mr Foster said design guidelines had been imposed so that street edges of the mega-mall were attractive to the public. It included rules around the size and location of shop windows and lighting.
"We no longer just accept blank walls like, for example, the Countdown supermarket that is there."
Johnsonville Progressive Association transport spokesman Tony Randle said the mega-mall was needed so the area could continue to grow. "It lets Johnsonville go ahead because it's exploding out of its current clothing."
The council will improve roads and intersections around the mall so they can cope with increased traffic from the upgrade and from expected population growth.
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I can't believe how many negative people are out there! Johnsonville is a huge Wellington suburb now. As for all this class nonsense - this is NZ for God's sake, if you think we have a class system you are deluded. As all of Johnsonville's schools are Decile 9 or 10 that should dispell with all the old fashioned way of thinking about the area. It has obviously come a long way over the years.
The shopping centre is a service facility that caters to a large area. The CBD will not be affected in the slightest. As "student_still" said, he/she will still shop at Kirks. (Like we care anyway.) Anyone that shops there now, or the CBD in general will still do so. The CBD caters to a completely different audience. If you want to go in there for something, you will still do so because it is a completely different shopping experience. Johnsonville people will still use it from time to time too, just like they do now!
This mall is well overdue and will be a great asset to anyone living in or around Johnsonville. Thank goodness all the toing and froing is finally over with and we can just get on with it without listening to all the negative people out there that are dead against growth of any kind.
As for "Joe Bloggs", did you not look at the photos and read the article?? Homes will not be affected. You make it sound as if they are bull dozing an entire commmunity for a shopping mall! What planet are you on?? It is obviously taking up the same amount of allocated commercial land it already has. Once again, an example of negativity for the sake of it. Do you just read the headline and decide you're against it?
I say BRING IT ON, and well done all those that had to fight so hard for it. As for the rest of you - no doubt you don't even live here, your comments make that obvious, so go find something closer to your own home to be negative about.
Amy #11
What is idiotic about a student shopping at Kirkcaldies?
I'm a student and I shop there. I refuse to go to malls, they are, in my opinion, the idiotic places.
Great - another DNZ project for the ratepayers to subsidize one way or another.
yay lets buy more crap we dont need yay !
look at the hutt, all thats there for eg is the old Queensgate monster, what else?!
Have only seen the pictures and read the accompanying article but looks to me like more of the same - indistinguishable from any mall anywhere. Is there anything to attract the Johnsonville community other than shopping? Where is the green space? How much power will it use and what has been put in place to make it sustainable as a huge new footprint on the planet? Any solar hot water, power saving measures? Anything to inspire us about our community? Has a proper environmental impact report been done. Need to know more. Don't appreciate classist nonsense from 'student still' but it certainly looks plastic, sterile and generic to me!
What a nightmare this whole thing will be! People who live close to the mall obviously don't realise that they are going to lose their home!!!! There has to be access to the mall so good bye to many homes. People don't seem to realise this fact - they are so caught up with the excitment of the mall.
#14
"Thanks for judging"
What a laughable comment. I refer you back to your original post where you wrote: "Lucky the people from Johnsonville (and nearby Tawa) are too dense to see it for what it is..."
That is such a mindless comment it beggars belief.
Amy,
Thanks for Judging. I'm not actually a student, but if I were, wouldn't it be MY CHOICE to shop at Kirks? Just as it is your choice to buy your clothes from Glassons, shoes from the Number One Shoe Warehouse, and your hair from Just Cuts.
Yay this is great and about time! I shifted to J'ville 5 years ago and had been hearing about a new mall and wondering when the heck is it going to happen. I think the talks about business being taken from the city was a stall tactic and not entirely factual. The city should be bucking up it's ideas to encourage people to shop in the CBD. I have never shopped at Kirkaldies and never will - I don't have the money to. I generally (if I can't get it in J'ville) drive to Porirua and on the rare occassion have I bought anything from the CBD. This will be great for J'ville, the town has grown so much that the current shopping facilities just do not meet the needs.
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Re: #21
Well said! Have a virtual beer.