Dunedin Gasworks Museum volunteer John Heaven is excited because the opening of a new supermarket next door means many more visitors are coming to the museum.
A recently installed side gate giving pedestrians access from the supermarket car park to the museum had begun operating late last month, and was already helping attract more visitors, Mr Heaven said.
Before the Countdown Dunedin South supermarket had been built, museum organisers had had serious misgivings about initial development proposals, he said.
But supermarket owner Progressive Enterprises Ltd had listened to the museum viewpoint and adjusted its plans.
"They looked after us pretty well."
Since it began operating a few months ago, the supermarket had also been proving itself a good neighbour, and its advent had been "great", Mr Heaven said.
The museum was now opening every Sunday, from noon until 4pm, rather than just two Sundays a month, as previously.
The facility was attracting up to 20 visitors each Sunday, and many were coming from the supermarket.
The museum had previously faced problems with a lack of pedestrian traffic in Braemar St, but the supermarket was providing access to many more people.
The supermarket's arrival was one of several recent positive developments, including the restoration and redevelopment of the museum's historic fitting shop.
An engineer's report had earlier warned that building had risked collapse.
But it had since been redeveloped as an attractive meeting venue, which had already hosted many events, including the successful South Dunedin Festival.
Partly because of its limited opening hours, the museum had previously attracted up to 1000 visitors a year, but Mr Heaven was "very optimistic" this would increase several-fold in the next few years.
Mr Heaven is a former member of the museum's governing trust board and undertakes front of house and other volunteer duties.
