A major new retail development, including a Mitre 10 Mega store and five new retail buildings, has been approved for Prestons Road in Marshlands.

The development will feature a 10,335-square-metre Mitre 10 Mega, alongside 3,513.6 sqm of additional retail space.

A total of 374 car parks will also be provided on-site.

Access to the site will be from 390 – 408 Prestons Road, according to the resource consent, which was recently approved by the Christchurch City Council.

The project is expected to boost local shopping options, providing residents with a large-scale home improvement store and new retail offerings.

The resource consent decision considered factors including how parking and access will be managed to minimise disruption, in an already busy area of the city, with heavy traffic during peak travel hours along Prestons Road.

Mitre 10 Mega has not yet announced an opening date, but it is expected to be sometime around November this year.

It comes as Bulk retail site Homebase shopping centre on Marshlands Road is undergoing a major expansion, that will make it the biggest retail site in Christchurch.