In May 2022 Think Papanui reported plans for the Oil Changers building in Papanui to be demolished to make way for supermarket car parking. The Papanui PAK’nSAVE was originally consented with basement car parking, however “as a result of geotechnical investigations” the basement was subsequently deleted from the plans, with that parking redistributed across the site at ground level. Space for the additional ground-level parking was found through the removal of the planned fuel stop and demolition of the retail buildings on the north-east corner of the site (the former Mad Butcher, and in theory, Oil Changers).
With the construction of the supermarket nearing completion, and Oil Changers continuing to trade, an inquiry from Think Papanui has revealed further changes to the project’s Resource Consent. A change of conditions approved last year permits Oil Changers to stay on site until the termination of their lease in 2027.
Impact on parking
The retention of the Oil Changers building means there’ll be 21 fewer car parks on that part of the site. As part of the same change of conditions, Foodstuffs will provide an 11 additional car parking spaces adjacent to their head office “for use by a combination of head office staff and visitors, and supermarket staff”. This means a net loss of 21 parks available to shoppers, offset by the provision of some parks that could be used by supermarket workers.
Documentation from the consent process indicates that the minimum on-site parking requirement for the supermarket is 241 spaces (209 visitor and 32 staff parking spaces). Think Papanui understands that with Oil Changers retained the site will now offer at least 253 parking spaces, twelve more than the minimum.
Foodstuffs has not responded to questions relating to the supermarket development.