Paynes Lane Improvements – connecting and enhancing Onehunga’s town centre

We are working to make it easier and safer for people to walk from Dress Smart and connect with other parts of the town centre, particularly:

• Onehunga Mall (via Paynes Lane).
• The proposed new Waiapu Precinct (on the opposite side of Onehunga Mall).
• Other nearby key locations, such as the library and supermarket.

By doing this, we will help stitch together the different parts of the town centre, and make it more attractive for people, as well as commercial and residential developers looking to invest in the area.

Paynes Lane and vicinity

We are working closely with the Dress Smart owners, Lendlease Funds Management Limited, to integrate their plans with our own development proposals for the Paynes Lane vicinity and rest of the town centre.

In 2022, we sold two council-owned car parks (3 Paynes Lane and 45 Waller Street) to Lendlease to enable them to expand and enhance Dress Smart.

Key conditions of the sale require Lendlease to improve car parking (including vehicle circulation), their street frontage and the connection with Onehunga Mall.  

Dress Smart – planned improvements

Dress Smart will extend their existing shopping mall to include:

• A wider selection of local and international retailers over three floors.
• A substantial new food and beverage area.
• A new, more welcoming visitor entrance.
• Improved and increased car parking facilities.

In addition, Lendlease plans to enhance the ambience of the original shopping mall.

What other improvements are planned?

We are planning several improvements to the public space in this vicinity, including:

• A street upgrade to Paynes Lane to make this area more attractive and pedestrian-friendly and create spaces for people to meet and socialise.
• Improved footpaths on Paynes Lane, Brays Rise and Waller Street, making these more visible and safer, to improve customer flow, accessibility, and connection to other parts of the town centre.
• New street furniture and lighting to improve the safety and amenity of the street.
• Realignment of the pedestrian crossing on Onehunga Mall, so it is more conveniently located adjacent to Paynes Lane.

Timing

Dress Smart has resource consent for their expansion plans. Construction, including enhancements to the original shopping mall, is likely to start in 2024.

Designs for the improvements to the public spaces are being developed and there will be an opportunity to provide feedback in early 2024. Construction is likely to start in 2025.