Mega plans for St Lukes

By ANNE GIBSON

The controversial mega-mall planned for Newmarket will be matched by an equally ambitious development across the city at St Lukes.

Australia's Westfield is going to double the size of St Lukes shopping centre, spending more than $200 million to create a seven-level super-mall in the next three years.

Following its recent application to build a $450 million mega-mall in Newmarket, Westfield has now applied the same big-format formula to St Lukes, which is New Zealand's largest mall at 33,000 sq m and turns over $236 million a year.

A large land-grab for the blocks surrounding the existing St Lukes mall, which Westfield already owns, will allow one of the world's largest shopping centre managers and owners to expand St Lukes.

The mall gets more than 10 million shopper visits a year, but the new mall, at 71,000 sq m gross, could attract 20 million visits.

Announcing the plans yesterday, Westfield NZ director Grant Hirst said an application had been made for a private plan change with the Auckland City Council.

The expanded mall will have 12 Village Force cinemas seating 3000. Westfield has calculated that the expanded mall will bring in $375 million in sales by 2003.

"St Lukes is considered to be the most successful shopping centre in New Zealand in terms of sales volumes," says a report by consultants Jebb, Holland & Dimasi.

Building the mall additions will employ 4800 people and 1800 fulltime staff will work there. Parking could be expanded from the present 1675 spaces to more than 3000.

The mall will spread out over land to the north onto blocks near Aroha Ave and Morningside Drive. Properties in Aroha Ave and Exeter Rd have been bought in the past five years.

Mr Hirst said the expanded mall would be a community asset.

"The new plans will give us the ability to ensure the centre continues to meet the changing demands of retailers and shoppers," he said.

St Lukes opened in 1971 and its last major expansion was in 1991.

But nearby residents have vowed to oppose the mall, says Edward Rooney, editor of the Central Leader and the Auckland City Harbour News.

The newspapers are based in Exeter Rd in the former State Insurance building, which is part of the Westfield expansion.

Mr Rooney said residents were worried about noise, traffic and the mall's appearance.

The 100-strong St Lukes Neighbours Association will oppose the mall.

It says the plans now before the council are much larger than the ones it saw seven months ago.

The association believes the mall would become a concrete jungle.

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