Retailers back 'green space' on carpark site

FUTURE GLIMPSE: Britomart's Takutai Square in Auckland provides a pointer for how Mount Maunganui Shopping Centre's Phoenix Carpark could look, including ample room for markets. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Mount Maunganui retailers have swung their weight behind the new vision for the shopping centre's Phoenix Carpark - to transform it into a park for shoppers to unwind.

"We were very pro keeping it as a green space," Mount Mainstreet chairwoman Jane Debenham said.

A recent meeting of the board has supported Mount developer Bain McDonald's plan to convert the carpark into an attractive open space where people could relax and eat their lunches.

It followed Mr McDonald outlining his plan to the city council last week, accompanied by photos of how it could look, including Britomart's Takutai Square in Auckland.

His presentation coincided with the council being left with only one "live proposal" for a joint venture development of the carpark into a retail and office complex. However, the proposal failed to meet the council's fundamental requirement to reduce debt.

Mrs Debenham said the carpark would be a great area for events, as a meeting place and for people to just sit and relax.

She explained that when the council put the joint venture development proposal to Mainstreet, they did not think that anything else would be going there.

"That was the only thing put in front of us. We were happy to work with the council and developers for the benefit of our members."'

Her personal preference was to keep Phoenix Carpark as an open space rather than see it developed.

Mr McDonald said everyone he had spoken to thought it was a fantastic idea. "People that have gone out of their way to contact me have said it was absolutely the thing that should happen."

His plan relied on replacing the lost carparks by developing a new carpark on the former Mount Bowling Club greens at the back of Coronation Park.

Part of Mr McDonald's motivation were his concerns the council had collected more than $2 million in development impact fees from the Mount without spending it on acquiring reserve land to offset the effects of intensification.

The council was assured that the fees could be used to secure the $6.5 million carpark as a community open space, with the money going to the transportation department because Phoenix Carpark sat in that division of the council.

Mr McDonald said this opportunity would not have arisen if the funds had not built up to such a magnitude. "It is a one-off chance that needs to be taken."

He said the issue of funds not being spent in an appropriate way had been an issue for years.

He understood the council will consider his proposal alongside other options. "My hope is that they will ask the Mount community for their opinions. It is for the benefit of the residents of the Mount."