Mall job prospects excite locals

Nearly 40 per cent of the value of building consents approved last month cover stage one of a multimillion-dollar shopping centre set for The Lakes.

Tauranga City Council approved $71.5million worth of construction in August - $35.8million residential and $35.7million commercial - compared to $51million at the corresponding time last year.

The $27million shopping centre in Taurikura Drive will include a Pak'n Save, The Warehouse, Warehouse Stationery, Noel Leeming plus restaurants and specialty retail stores.

Alongside the 18,000sq m of shops will be 820 car parks, Matt Jackson of lead project managers RCP said.

Civil costs took the build up to about a $34million project, he said.

Construction was hoped to be finished by July 15, 2016, with shops opening towards the end of that month.

Stage two, which was still only in the planning stage, could be about twice the size, Mr Jackson said.

"Its a growing residential area in Tauranga so it makes sense ... continuing development of The Lakes will continue to support it.

"It's also a great opportunity for local employment. Between Pak'n Save and The Warehouse, that's hundreds of jobs."

He had been getting more questions about when the jobs would be advertised than about anything else, he said.

Residential growth was just as strong as commercial last month.

Master Builders Tauranga president Johnny Calley, of Calley Homes, said it was good news for anyone working in construction.

The shopping centre in The Lakes would help fuel residential demand as well, Mr Calley said.

"There's huge demand out there residentially and once the shopping mall is in that'll only increase.

"I imagine the developers will have a waiting list for sections for their next release."

Calley Homes had been busy in Mount Maunganui and the Avenues, building new homes on existing sections, as well as in The Lakes, Papamoa and Bethlehem, he said.

Papamoa was similar to The Lakes where sections would sell within hours of being released, he said.