Editorial: Centre great news

Lynmore Junction developer Ryan Holmes

The announcement of a big new retail and entertainment centre on Te Ngae Rd is exciting news for the city.

As we reported on Saturday, Lynmore Junction will include a facility called "Zone Play Rotorua" - with a cinema, ten-pin bowling, trampoline park and laser strike to keep kids happy.

It will also include a supermarket which is likely to be welcome news for the thousands that live on the east side of the city. But it's not just them that will benefit.

It will also bring work for local contractors and a large number of new jobs once everything is up and running. Not to mention boosting confidence across the city's economy.

Developer Ryan Holmes said he'd been thinking for some time about what to do with the land - the old Sealed Air site - and believed the planned entertainment facilities was just what the city needed.

With previous new developments outside of the main CBD, there were always those worried they were to the detriment of the inner city.

One of the counter-arguments was that those businesses drawn to such developments are those that would not otherwise have come to the city.

Similarly for the paying customers - if, as Mr Holmes believes, the centre has the ability to draw people from around the region, chances are many will also pop into town for a wander as well.

There are a lot of exciting changes planned for Rotorua over the coming year or so and this development is yet another to add to the list.