Recently the Think Papanui broke the news that Kmart’s Papanui store is planned to open on the 2nd of April 2020.
I curate Think Papanui’s content, and have been taking a look through the questions and comments on the post I put up announcing the opening date. In this article I’ll endeavour to respond to some of these – please note that I don’t speak for or on behalf of Kmart, but I’ll include links & references where possible. Best efforts are made to ensure this information is correct as at the date of publication, but if you’re reading this at some point in the future keep in mind that circumstances may have changed.
What other shops are planned in the development?
In addition to Kmart as the anchor tenant there are spaces for mid/large retail as well as smaller hospitality ones in this next stage of the Northlink development. Other tenants named so far include Noel Leeming, Torpedo7, Bargain Chemist, Couplands and St Pierre’s. Source: Colliers International
What impact will the extra traffic have on local roads?
I’m not aware of any change to the situation I described in this May 2019 article – when the development is fully completed it is expected to generate peak-hour traffic of close to 600 vehicle trips per hour, and the developer expects an additional 300 vehicle movements per day in Morrison Avenue once the ‘Kmart’ block is open.
There is a plan for a third block yet to be constructed at the rear of the site, and a condition of the resource consent is that the final part “cannot be occupied until there is a contract let for an intersection upgrade to traffic lights at the intersection of Langdons Road and Greers Road”. There are no plans for traffic lights at the entrance/exit to the Northlink retail site itself.
What’s happening to Kmart in The Palms?
Kmart announced in April 2019 that it will be relocating its Shirley store to Papanui. “The decision to relocate the store to Papanui is part of our vision to continue to grow our store network in Christchurch, and we are doing this by ensuring our stores are in the best locations to service our customers now and well into the future … We look forward to welcoming everybody into our new store in early 2020.”
What will replace Kmart at The Palms?
I’m not aware of any announcements at this stage.
Are Kmart hiring new staff for the Papanui store?
At the date of publication I don’t see any Papanui-specific jobs on Kmart’s careers website. I’d suggest keeping an eye on that page and/or signing up to the ‘job alert’ feature found there.
Question for readers
What other questions do you have? Let me know in the comments below.
Simon Britten 
Turning on to Langdons Road from Sail Street is quite dangerous. Are there any plans for lights to go on this intersection? We have Mitre 10 traffic and now traffic to and from North Link and it is a matter of time before someone is badly hurt. When cars are parked on Langdons Road near Sail Street, you have to go out on to Langdons Road before you see any vehicle approaching from North Link and Greers Road end. Vision is very limited
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Hi Jenny, thanks for your comments. A couple of thoughts – if you look at the Community Board’s draft plan at the link below, you’ll see under the heading “Improve community road safety” the following two items:
– Engage with the community on local transport issues.
– Advocate for traffic lights at the Greers and Langdons Road intersection
The Board plan is currently open for feedback and your input on the road safety section or other parts would be welcome. You can also write to the Board or ask to speak at a Board meeting about an issue such as the one you raise re the Sails Street (for contact details see the link at “Read more about the Waipapa/Papanui-InnesCommunity Board”).
https://ccc.govt.nz/the-council/consultations-and-submissions/haveyoursay/show/293
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There is also a problem when coming out of driveways residents living on langdons Road with cars parked on both sides of the road you have to get right out on the road to see what is coming. Also something needs to be done coming from northlands and turning at the intersection where Mitre 10 is, making a right or left hand turn when coming from mitre 10 to get onto langdons Road has become a nightmare and can see bad accidents happening.
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Hi Beryl, thanks for your comments. It’s good to see the high fence on the Mitre 10 corner at the Langdons/Chapel intersection come down – that should help at least a little. Parking and visibility issues for residents on Langdons Road have been raised with the board already, but you are most welcome to add your voice – see my other reply to Jenny with some info on this.
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Will there be a bus stop near the new K Mart if so what number bus will it be
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I believe the nearest bus stops are on the Orbiter route on Harewood Road, about 500m away from the new retail development. The Main North Road bus stops outside Northlands Mall are about a kilometre away down Langdons Road. This is a big contrast with how accessible Kmart has been via public transport at The Palms.
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