Husband and wife team, Pip and Conor Kershaw, are ready to get on with the rebuild and redevelopment of their general store. PHOTO/HAYLEY GASTEMEIER
KAREN COLTMAN
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Resource consent has been granted to Pain and Kershaw for the family-owned company to do a multi-million-dollar redevelopment of the Martinborough P and K General Store and Four Square.
It’s an exciting time for the husband and wife team, Pip and Conor Kershaw.
Conor said, “it was a development we have been planning in our heads for a few years,” so receiving resource consent was “very exciting”.
Pip Kershaw has been working on the fit-out of the temporary location of the general store on Kitchener Street.
‘We are really excited to be moving forward with the project,” she said.
The company is restoring the 1905 original building on the square to a 1950s period look with suspended verandas. This will become the home of the new general store.
But the supermarket is to move into new premises adjacent the original building along Jellicoe Street that will eventually connect back with the old store.
These buildings are to be demolished because it is not viable to get them to earthquake proof standard.
South Wairarapa Mayor Alex Beijen said he was pleased that the development was set to go ahead. He had been told the application was one of the best the council had seen.
“These buildings do have an economic life and it is great they can do what is necessary,” Beijen said.
“The whole process has been very well done and it is great for Martinborough.”
The council encouraged P and K to include a redesign of the footpath and parking area adjacent to the town square.
Conor said the council was keen for the south side of the square to have a more attractive and active frontage.
“The council has been helpful and was keen to see us make the area more in keeping with the rest of the square,” he said.
“The outdoor seating and planting will enhance the corner dramatically from the current back end of a supermarket.
“We have consent for a tenant that could deliver a family style café, bar and restaurant that we think would be a good addition to town.”
The current inwards goods bay on the square will move out to make way for the eatery.
The designs were done by HDT Architecture and the project will be completed by Holmes Construction.
The build includes a zone for delivery trucks to drive into the new supermarket building rather than be parked on the road. The redevelopment includes plans to expand the garden centre of the Mitre 10 store.
The building consent applications will go to council soon and then final pricing can be completed.
P and K consulted with an accredited heritage architects to ensure the only building to remain was representative of its past and connects well to the town centre.
All the buildings set for removal have had their physical and social histories documented and this was to be archived with Heritage New Zealand.
Demolition is slated to start later this year with final completion expected to be by early 2022 at the latest.
