A slice of public greenway will be sold by the Central Otago District Council to allow the Cromwell New World Supermarket to expand, despite objections from residents.

The remaining part of the greenway, off Waenga Drive, will be given a landscaping make-over funded by Foodstuffs South Island Properties Ltd (Foodstuffs) who own the supermarket.  

Foodstuffs’ request to buy the 619m² area beside the existing New World site was reviewed by the Cromwell Community Board in February 2019 and again in June 2020. 

During a public notification process, which is required to the revoke the area’s Reserve status, 12 people made submissions. 

Four supported the change because it would allow for an enhancement of what remained without any cost to council and would help the supermarket to keep up with the demands of a growing community.

The site where Cromwell New World supermarket is to be extended over part of a greenway

Eight people opposed the revoking of the reserve’s status due to concerns over traffic increasing and a desire to see the supermarket moved further away from the town centre.

Katie Lindsay was critical of public land being sold to a commercial enterprise. Increasing the size of a supermarket was a “revenue driven” action as opposed to something aimed at serving the community, Ms Lindsay’s submission stated.

Foodstuffs reported safety concerns over current traffic congestion involving supply trucks and customers as well as a struggle to house sufficient supplies to match customer demand, compared to what other New World supermarkets were offering elsewhere.

The council agreed that given the constraints of the current site and the enhancements to the remaining reserve land, the application was considered acceptable.