After years of stalled discussion, the future of the Cromwell Mall is back before Central Otago District Council, with attention turning to land the council already owns.

At a workshop on Wednesday (February 11), councillors and Cromwell Community Board members discussed early direction for the Cromwell town centre, beginning what staff said would be a six to seven-month process.

The aim is to develop options that could be consulted on as part of the 2027–2037 Long Term Plan.

Much of the discussion focused on whether the existing mall, now more than 40 years old, remained fit for purpose.

Councillor Stu Duncan questioned the value of reinvesting in the current structure.

“Cabbage boiled twice is never any good,” Stu said.

“Why try to redevelop the mall when it didn’t work in the first place?”

Cromwell Community Board chair Anna Harrison said any future development needed to give people a reason to stop in Cromwell rather than pass through.

“How do you pull people off that highway to come in and realise that Cromwell has got something more to offer than having your photo taken at the big fruit?” Anna said.

CODC owns only some of the buildings in the mall, including the Cromwell Service Centre and neighbouring library. Image: File

Mayor Tamah Alley questioned whether Cromwell should compete with "big box" retail of the type found in Queenstown’s Five Mile and suggested a different kind of anchor, such as visitor accommodation, could provide a stronger draw.

Anna said traditional retail was changing, with many everyday purchases – such as “socks and undies” - now made online.

“We could have a vibrant café, restaurant, bar, quirky little shop space,” she said.

Property and facilities manager Garreth Robinson said the under-construction memorial hall and events centre on Lake Dunstan was already attracting outside interest in the town.

“We have investors sniffing around the edges,” Garreth said.

“They want to get their teeth into Cromwell.”

There was broad discussion about shifting focus away from the existing mall site, which involves multiple private landowners, toward council-owned land and assets, including the Big Fruit reserve.

Staff and elected members said working within the council’s own footprint would give greater control over future development, with the expectation it would increase foot traffic and act as a catalyst for improvements to existing commercial buildings.

While there was discussion about land swaps and the possibility of private owners selling, Tamah reminded the room the workshop was a public forum and it was not appropriate to discuss specific individuals or past deal options.

The outskirts of the Cromwell Mall, 12 February 2026. Image: The Central App

Tamah acknowledged strong opinions about the mall had circulated in the community for many years, including through local media and online discussion.

Traffic and road safety were identified as immediate concerns, regardless of how quickly any redevelopment progressed.

Tamah described several intersections in the area as “super dodgy”.

“Even if we were doing nothing in the mall, something needs to be done about those,” she said.

Staff said road alignment could improve safety, while also opening up additional council land for development, and any roading project could qualify for central government funding.

A report presented to the workshop said Cromwell was experiencing strong commercial demand driven by visitor numbers, population growth and regional tourism trends.

Garreth encouraged elected members to be future-focused as they considered the scope and vision for the project - “don’t be scared”, he told them.

Further workshops are expected over the coming months.

Read more: $200k spent on Cromwell Mall fixes

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