Facelift to help town centre fight the malls

St George Street will be revamped. Photo / Martin Sykes

Old Papatoetoe town centre is to get a revamp that will include an apartment block and new shops.

The Manukau City Council, which owns land around St George St, was looking at ways of revitalising a shopping centre that had been neglected for years, Papatoetoe councillor Bob Wichman said.

"It's become very rundown and neglected - people have changed their shopping habits, shopping at nice shopping malls," he said.

"Unfortunately, that has meant that the Old Papatoetoe shopping centre and Hunters Corner has started to deteriorate."

Mr Wichman said revitalising the area would benefit not only the 40,000 people living in the Papatoetoe area, but also the wider community of Manukau City.

With the building of new apartment blocks nearby, newer shops - including more upmarket retail stores and cafes - would pop up and no doubt attract more customers.

More customers would bring more business and therefore, a brighter and more vibrant shopping centre, Mr Wichman said.

"The council has decided to create and make the place more customer-friendly.

"Everyone is supporting this because if the shopping centre is good in Papatoetoe, that will bump on to good business in Mangere, Otara and everywhere - what's good for us is good for everybody."

Revitalisation plans for Old Papatoetoe come after a push to get more sports facilities built in the area and the wider Manukau City region with the aim of encouraging more youngsters to participate in sports.

A new $12 million multisports facility just up the road from Old Papatoetoe, on Great South Rd, is being built to cater to up to 3000 athletes from local sports clubs.

It is expected to be open in time for the Rugby World Cup in 2011.

Mr Wichman said the area had long been in need of a revamp and it was something many locals had wanted for many years.

"We've got to do something. We can't just let it be turned into a slum - that's the last thing we want," he said.

Although the council had yet to put a figure on the project, the revitalisation project was likely to cost "millions", , Mr Wichman said - but it would be well worth it.