Rolleston rezone removes hurdle for Mitre 10 store
The Selwyn District Council adopted the recommendations of an independent hearing commissioner to approve Foodstuff's request to rezone land to allow an extension of retail development next to its new supermarket on the corner of Levi and Lincoln-Rolleston roads.
Councillors approved the commissioners' recommendations on Wednesday, with the decision to be notified and open to appeal.
Council's development and growth executive director Robert Love said the councillors' decision on Wednesday does not grant consent for a trade retail supplier to build on the site, but 'will enable an easier pathway for future applications for consent to build'.
'Once the decision is notified, there is a 30-day appeal period. If no appeals are received, the council will notify that the change is in effect, and the plan will be changed five days after that.'
In his 68-page decision report, the commissioner concluded the plan change request aligned with the purpose of the Resource Management Act (RMA) and relevant planning documents, that concerns raised in the submissions were adequately addressed, and a robust planning framework was in place to manage future effects.
If there are no appeals, the further development process of the site will be free to start once the changes are official in the district plan.
Foodstuffs applied to rezone the area from medium-density residential to large-format retail, with plans for a Mitre10 Mega to be built on the site, once it goes through a separate consent process.
Foodstuffs South Island stated that it 'accepts and is supportive of the Commissioner's recommendations'.
'Like Pak'nSave, Mitre 10 is an iconic kiwi-owned business, and the two stores are complementary of one another.
'We're looking forward to seeing the South Island's biggest supermarket, Pak'nSaveRolleston, operating alongside Mitre10 as part of the continued growth of New Zealand's fastest growing district.
'There are further planning steps that Foodstuffs South Island needs to undertake, including a subdivision consent, so we'll have a clearer idea on timing following that.'
Mitre10 spokesman Murray Smith, one of the three brothers that own the Mitre 10 branches in Christchurch, said they are excited about the prospect of developing a store in Rolleston, which he said would provide over 60 jobs.
'It is very early in the process, and many of the details are yet to be finalised, so at this stage it is not possible to commit to an opening date for the store, other than to say Mitre 10 is keen to become a valuable part of the Selwyn local community as soon as possible.'
At the council meeting on Wednesday, councillor Grant Miller said his recollection in developing the district plan was the council's 'desire to see large format retail, big box retail, to be on the i-Zone (industrial area) side of the railway line'.
'Up until now, most of the players have played by those rules.
'Players that have played by the rules might be disadvantaged by this decision, on Mitre10 coat-tailing on another supermarket development.'
Miller was frustrated that there's a lot of 'great work done in planning and then it seems to get smashed down'.
Senior policy planner Jocelyn Lewes said any individual can apply to change the plan.
She said the proposal's appropriateness was assessed by the independent commissioner, who considered the economic impacts on the nearby town centre, and the site's suitability relative to existing zoned areas.
'For whatever reason, development of a large format nature has not yet occurred in what we currently have zoned as large format retail.'
Foodstuffs gained resource consent to build the new 8,108sqm store in Rolleston in 2022.
Foodstuffs then lodged a private plan change request with the council in March 2024 to rezone the around 7 hectares of land from a medium density residential zone to a large format retail zone.
The almost $50 million Pak'nSave supermarket is set to open ahead of schedule on October 14 and will be the largest supermarket in the South Island, spanning 8100sqm and creating around 250 local jobs.
By Jonathan Leask, Local Democracy Reporter
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air
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