Opinion: Welcome Bay supermarket would be a plus

Potential sites for a new Welcome Bay supermarket.

Proposals for a new supermarket in Welcome Bay are drawing closer to a possible conclusion.

Tomorrow, the council will hear feedback about whether a supermarket should be allowed to be built on council-owned land.

A total 1937 people responded to a council survey that asked: Do you support a supermarket being built in Welcome Bay on council-owned land? Two-thirds were in support and a third were opposed.

As a Welcome Bay resident, I have been following this issue closely.

I would love more amenities in my home suburb. We've got a population comparable to Opotiki yet we only have a scattering of small (but excellent) shops.

The locations being considered for a supermarket are Waitaha Reserve, which is where the skate park and playground are next to the shops, and Owens Park next to Welcome Bay School.

Neither option is perfect but I would prefer Waitaha Reserve. It will almost be like a town centre and means people will be able to do all their chores in one hit - I can pick up my Trade Me package, order my fish and chips and get my groceries in one place. Plus it's within walking distance of my house - bonus!

There are negatives. The small businesses at the shopping centre will struggle to compete with supermarket prices and the traffic around Waitaha Rd will increase - the intersection is already pretty busy.

But it might actually help decrease traffic delays in the suburb overall. There will be more jobs in Welcome Bay itself, so fewer city commuters, and fewer people driving to the city for their shopping.

Losing the park will be a major downside but I hope any deal would include building a new skate park and playground in a nearby location.

I love my suburb so any reason to stay put is a plus for me.