Update December 2009 

District Plan Changes pave way for more redevelopment

The proposed changes to the District Plan (plan change 72) have highlighted outer suburban areas like Kilbirnie and Johnsonville as areas of change that will allow more intensive housing to go hand in hand with the growth in commercial development in these areas.

To quote from the Residential Review on the Wellington City Council website, " The residential ‘Areas of Change’ are tightly defined residential areas where high quality medium density housing will be actively encouraged. These areas are located surrounding the existing town centres of Johnsonville and Kilbirnie where the benefits of higher density residential development will be greatest. Intensification within these areas will allow efficient use of existing infrastructure, support existing services and facilities, and allow people to live close to jobs and close to public transport. Within Areas of Change comprehensive redevelopment of housing will be encouraged and facilitated. This will result in significant increases in the residential density of these areas, and is likely to lead to changes to the existing character. The success of the Areas of Change will depend on achieving high quality housing stock and associated spaces (both public and private).

Within the Areas of Change, the Plan seeks to achieve:

# Medium to high density residential development

# High levels of amenity for occupants of new residential developments

# High quality development, both in terms of building design and townscape character

# Variety in the built form (including variation in style, type and scale of buildings)

# Variety in household type (1, 2, 3, and 3+ bedroom units)

# Appropriate levels of protection for neighbouring property’s amenity

It is anticipated that these areas will eventually have a more intensive, urban feel. There are opportunities for canny investors who have the vision and the cash to buy into these proposed areas right now. Plan changes will change the values of the properties within the “Areas of Change” with relaxed coverage rules allowing much more intensive housing to be built.

There has been a bit of a “who har” in the last week with all of the local papers giving front page coverage to the voices for and against the changes. Opponents of the changes suggest that the urbanisation of Johnsonville will create a ghetto in 20 years time. This last gasp by the status quo-ers has come at the very end of a long winded consultation process that began in 2006. Local MP’s have also joined the band wagon with Peter Dunne and Charles Chauvel obviously seeing opportunities for self promotion in the melee, and have come forward to raise their voices for yet more consultation and round table foot stamping.

As a business person who has worked in Johnsonville for almost 20 years, I have seen the likes of Porirua and Lower Hutt push ahead and modernise themselves to provide amenity for the population of Wellington, while Johnsonville (and Tawa) have been left behind. It is time that Johnsonville got on with the job of growing up. I don’t want to have to drive to Porirua to find more retail variety. I am tired of parking in potholed carparks and working amongst the worn and jaded hodgepodge of buildings that represent our local CBD. I want more choice of restaurants and cafes, and would love to be able to go into Johnsonville to see a movie with the family instead of driving to town, driving around and around parking buildings to get to a free space, then feeding overpriced parking meters.

Go Andy Foster I say!

Bring on managed, sustainable growth in the Suburban Centres to match the obvious growth in population that has already taken place with miriads of houses added to the newer subdivisions of Woodridge, Bellevue, Churton Park, and Hunters Hill in the last 10 years. It is time for change and time for growth. It is time that Johnsonville (and Newlands) were allowed to grow up and provide for themselves instead of feeding off the Wellington city centre, Thorndon, and Porirua.

written by David Garratt Dec 2009

 Update Late September 2009

Council gives greenlight to Mall expansion

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.

This update from www.stuff.co.nz