Pak’nSave Wairau to Go to Environment Court

NEWS RELEASE
18th February 2008

Pak’nSave Wairau to Go to Environment Court

Foodstuffs (Auckland) Limited says it’s disappointed its competitor, Progressive Enterprises, has appealed the North Shore City Council’s granting of resource consent for its PAK’nSAVE Wairau, preventing the opening of the store.

“Our Australian-owned competitors have fought us every step of the way, and we didn’t expect them to back off now – even in the face of the overwhelming public support we have for the store,” says Murray Jordan, Foodstuffs (Auckland) General Manager –Property Development.

“This now means we will see Progressive at the Environment Court, but we’re confident in the strength of our application to open the PAK’nSAVE. The site is zoned for retail use and the Council found in its decision that the PAK’nSAVE broadly achieves the centres-based strategy.

“One of the grounds Progressive are appealing on is traffic. I think the only traffic they’re seriously concerned about is the traffic that won’t be going to their stores, given they own six of the seven closest supermarkets to the proposed PAK’nSAVE.

“They’re coming up with every objection they can think of, just to prevent us bringing our policy of New Zealand’s lowest food prices to this part of the North Shore.”

Mr Jordan says Foodstuffs has appealed one of the conditions of consent imposed by North Shore City Council and is hopeful that this will be speedily resolved with the Council.

“Overall, we’re very happy with the conditions of the consent, bar one regarding widening Wairau Road to allow for a left hand turn lane from Wairau Road into Porana Road. We’ve been advised that the condition is not reasonable or appropriate for several reasons.”

He says all those who submitted will be receiving copies of all the appeals, but that Foodstuffs’ appeal is very much a technical matter, as it relates to a road work condition of the consent.

“It’s now a matter of waiting for a date from the Environment Court to hear the appeal from our competitors, but this latest delay only serves to make us even more determined to succeed in our efforts to give the community what it wants and open PAK’nSAVE Wairau.”

Foodstuffs (Auckland) Limited has been wanting to open a PAK’nSAVE on the Wairau Road site for 17 years, and received resource consent to build the supermarket in October 2004. Work commenced and the store was due to open in August 2005, creating 300 jobs in the area.

Foodstuffs’ competitor Progressive Enterprises, along with the Northcote Mainstreet Business Association, opposed the North Shore City Council’s granting of the consent on a non-notified basis, and the consent was overturned by the High Court in June 2005, forcing work on the supermarket to stop. The new consents were applied for and granted on a fully notified basis.

ENDS

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