Views sought again on mall's future

Cromwell residents and retailers are being asked again for their views on the redevelopment of The Mall, 25 years after the town centre was opened.

Concept plans for a major facelift of The Mall were prepared two years ago and were the subject of meetings and public submissions, but the Cromwell Community Board has yet to finish any plans.

The board has employed an urban design business - Urbanism Plus - to evaluate the concept plans and the ideas the community has already submitted.

Central Otago District Council business development manager Jonathan Gadd said a series of meetings this week had involved about 120 people, comprising residents, retailers, focus groups, landowners and tenants.

A public meeting on the issue on Wednesday was attended by 22 people.

"For any plans to succeed, they have to make sense and resonate with landowners, tenants and residents," Mr Gadd said.

Cromwell Community Board chairman Neil Gillespie said several issues had arisen since the concept plans were first developed.

"As a board, we had to be sure that all the issues and all the feedback has been taken into consideration. People might think that's an excuse and say it's an excuse for not doing anything, but we want to get this right.

"Although it's taking a long time, we want to get it right. If we get it wrong, it's a long time wrong," Mr Gillespie said.

The initial plans included several options, including one costing about $5 million.

"When you're looking at that sort of money, or any sort of money, the public have to be consulted and make sure we're gong in the right direction."

Mr Gadd said the concept plans were a starting point and a basis for discussion.

Whether they were feasible and realistic had yet to be determined.

The next stage was a three-day workshop involving the urban design company and council staff, to test concepts and ideas, he said.

lynda.van.kempen@odt.co.nz