Rolleston’s town centre is set to expand, with new buildings bringing a mix of retail and office space.
Work is due to start on stage two of the Rolleston Fields development, off Tennyson St, in February, with construction expected to be completed by December 2027.
Rolleston Fields is the brainchild of mother-and-daughter duo Lilly Cooper and Caroline Cooper-Dixon of Cooper Developments.
Cooper-Dixon said the next stage would continue the vision of making Rolleston Fields a place where people could work, meet, eat, shop and access the services they needed locally.
“The best town centres are not created overnight. They evolve, with different reasons for people to visit throughout the day.
“Stage 2 will continue that approach, and is designed to support a more active town centre,” she said.
Cooper said getting the development right was important for Rolleston’s future.
“We’re really excited about this town centre because it is the key; it is the heart,” she said.
Cooper-Dixon said a better economy had allowed the development to progress.
“It’s been a lot more positive out there.”
A final stage of Rolleston Fields will focus on an entertainment area, with a cinema among the ideas being considered.
Council head of commercial infrastructure and property Keith Beal said the council would work alongside Rolleston Fields to complete its part of the town centre.
“If we co-ordinate so it all happens at the same time, it might mean a little longer disruption, but it only happens once.”
Beal said the new buildings would provide much-needed office space in the town centre.
“If you were a 40-person company looking for space, probably the Izone was the only space you could get right now.”
The office space will also bring more people into the town centre during the week and help make it a place where people could gather, similar to Riverside Market in central Christchurch, Beal said.
Although initial plans for the town centre were drawn up in 2019, Beal said the council would carry out a design review to ensure the plans still reflected the community’s needs.
- People can find out more about stage two of the town centre and what else is happening in the Rolleston area at the Kā Mania Rolleston Local Matters meeting at Te Ara Ātea on Sunday from 1.30-3pm