Christchurch Central MP Duncan Webb has raised concerns about plans for a new supermarket on Madras Street, warning the local community could be shut out of the decision-making process if the project is pushed through under a fast-track consent process.
The proposed site, a large vacant lot on Madras Street, was once owned by the council and has remained empty for years.
While some locals support the idea of a new supermarket, others are worried about the potential scale of the development and the lack of community consultation.
Webb said the issue isn’t necessarily the supermarket itself, but the way the process is being handled. “There’s a real chance this could get put on a fast-track process. Woolworths wants to do that, and there’ll be no community consultation — no input on what kind of supermarket it is, what facilities there are, how much parking, or how it fits into the street plan. The community would be shut out.”
Webb said it was unacceptable that local residents could have no say on a development that would change their neighbourhood. “Supermarket may well be the right thing to put there, I don’t know. But the locals who are going to be living next door to this do have a say — absolutely they do, because it’s right next to a residential area.”
The original proposal was pitched under the previous government’s Fast-track Approvals Act but did not progress. Webb said there is now concern the new government could approve the project under the same legislation.
“There’s an ability to apply to ministers to get it put on the fast-track,” he said. “They may tweak it, make some changes to try and reshape the project so it might get on that fast-track. What I’m saying is, do it the usual way. Put it through the council consenting process so locals can have a say.”
Webb said proper consultation would ultimately deliver a better outcome for everyone. “What you’ll actually end up with is whatever project comes out the other end is one that’s suitable for the community. It kind of has the social licence so that people buy into what’s going on there.”
Webb rejected suggestions that his opposition was about limiting competition. “Let’s be honest, supermarkets are expensive now. I absolutely want competition,” he said.
“When I was a minister, one of my main projects was trying to break open the supermarkets and make them more competitive. If you go into the supermarket and see the per kilogram price on your tomatoes, it’s work that I did. I put a supplier code in. I made it possible for other retailers to buy from supermarket wholesalers, and this government’s continuing on with that work, and that’s good.”
Webb said what’s needed is not another supermarket run by the same major players, but genuine new competition in the grocery sector. “What we definitely need is a new entrant — a big new player into the supermarket space or at least into the food space. I don’t know if it’s going to be another supermarket or whether it’s going to be home deliveries from a warehouse, but we need something to really keep those eyes on us because at the moment, we know they’re still making a lot of money — a lot of profit — off the back of what’s essentially a duopoly.”
Webb said Christchurch City Councillor Pauline Cotter made a valid point about the need for another large supermarket when five already operate within three kilometres of the proposed site.
“The nearest supermarket is 950 metres away,” he said. “There’s a shape and size question here, because I think the original proposal was a big supermarket with associated big box retail, which is a little out of character for that neighbourhood and probably a little oversized.”
He said the area might benefit more from a smaller development that fits the local character. “If there’s a proposal for another kind of village supermarket with some cafes and green grass and what have you, that may well work. But let’s have a conversation. Don’t shut us out from the conversation.”
Webb warned if the fast-track process is used, residents living on Madras Street and surrounding areas would have no voice. “The minute it’s fast-tracked, locals are shut out,” he said. “The advisory group or the panel might touch base with council staff, but in terms of locals having a voice — shut out. And that’s why we hate the fast-track.”
Finance Minister Nicola Willis dismissed Webb’s concerns, calling his position “ridiculous.”
Willis said the community was focused on the cost of living and wanted cheaper groceries, not more red tape. “The reality is people want cheaper groceries, and projects like this help make that happen. Duncan Webb should get on board and stop trying to stand in the way,” she said.
