First stage of rejuvenation plan for Village shops car park

25 July, 2022

Shoppers accustomed to navigating their way through a honeycomb of puddles to access the local corner store will find the path a lot easier in coming months as a long-planned restoration is finally put into action.

For a period of time, visitors to Mangawhai Village shops have needed to navigate their cars and and footsteps through the infamous network of deep, water-logged potholes at the Moir and Insley Street junction carpark, next to the SuperValue store. However, the first load of bitumen is scheduled to be scraped away on July 25 to be replaced with 220 cubic metres of concrete, marking the beginning of a staggered plan to smooth the way and provide a more enjoyable experience for shoppers.

Owner of the property since 2018, and ‘local as much as I can be’ after holidaying in the area for 30-plus years, Robert Keen says he was ‘ahead of the game’ with carpark renovations and a building revamp due to start in 2021. However, the work had to be put on hold due to the Mangawhai Community Plan Shared Path construction and roundabout upgrade.

“I’m not one to bury my head in the sand, I bought the property knowing that work would need to be done to bring it up to speed,” he says.

“My hands were tied for a while, however I’m happy to report that work is now in progress. We decided to invest more money into the surface of the carpark and create a proper concrete foundation instead of the coldmix, so we won’t end up going back into having the same problems.”

Keen says the phenomenal increase of people living in the area and resultant increased vehicle use in the carpark, as well as the large six-wheeler delivery trucks ripping the asphalt up when turning, are two factors which have caused the ongoing deterioration of the parking lot.

Designed by registered architect Colin Campbell of local firm Campbell Architects, the first stage of the landscaping plan, besides a redo of the corner carpark, includes four bollards to be set along the side of the supermarket to form a safe walkway for pedestrians and protection for the building, and curbing along the Insley Street side with gardens to soften the edging.

In February this year Kaipara District Council (KDC) also granted a building consent for alterations and additions to the Mangawhai Meats store as well as for concreting the entire parking area surrounding the shops, set to commence at the end of July and taking an estimated 12-14 weeks.

“The butcher needs more retail and working space so we’re looking to increase the footprint out the back of the shop,” says Keen.

“There’ll also be a complete clean up of services, including removal of the two exisitng water tanks with three replacements to be installed at the back of the site. At a later stage, we’ll be looking at a revamp of the front of all the shops which date back to the 70s and 80s, so it’s time for a refresh.”

Stage two of the makeover is also drawn up and will focus on the other three shops in the complex, with work to start sometime in 2023 once the busy holiday season, essential for local retailers, is over.

Throughout the process Keen says his team have worked closely with council and have pushed the landscaping plan as they have wanted to design the upgrade in keeping with the area.

“We want to make it enjoyable and attractive for people. It’s a massive investment but worth it, for the value of the property and the benefit of shoppers and the community,” he says.

“The contracted builder plans to inform locals about the progress on the Mangawhai Community facebook page, so we welcome the community to walk by and then drop us some feedback.”

Mangawhai Village’s infamous corner carpark; a sight to set many an ankle trembling and car wheels bracing as they traverse the labryinth of deep potholes. However plans are afoot to smooth the path forward. PHOTS/JULIA WADE

Warkworth firm, DEC Construction will be in charge of the shop’s rebuild from carpark to extensions, and owner/builder Darren Ettritch (pictured) will be keeping the community informed of the progess on local social media. Village shops landowner Robert Keen says there will be is a bit of disruption coming, ‘so if everyone can just bear with us for a while.’