The owner of the planned Lake Hāwea SuperValue is seeking registrations of interest for a GP practice for the building.

Project H Ltd received approval last year to construct a SuperValue (Woolworths) supermarket on land between Bodkin Street and Parry Crescent, close to the existing Hāwea Store and Kitchen.

Project H Ltd spokesperson Ray McLeod, a long term Lake Hāwea property owner and part time resident, told the Wānaka App he was advertising for rural GP practice interest in the offices above the supermarket.

“We want to bring something into the community that’s needed,” he said.

“There’s quite a lot of people in that catchment and a higher number of people per household than average,” he said, adding that may be due to the large number of young families.

Lake Hāwea and Hāwea Flat residents currently have to travel to Wānaka for GP consultations.

Ray said neither of the Wānaka general practices, Aspiring Medical and Wānaka Medical, had expressed interest in extending out to Hāwea.

However, he said Project H was advertising with rural GPs and had also had “some serious tenant interest” in the upstairs office space.

“We were looking at allied health professionals [such as physiotherapists] to complete the equation,” he said,

Ray said the first stage of the supermarket project’s building consent drawings would be finished by the end of this week.

“We’re weeks away from starting work and I’d like to think we’ll be finished by the end of November.” 

The advertisement for the associated office spaces says the space is 234 square metres and available for two or three tenancies, and tenants could work with the developer to have their set up ready for July/August 2023.

IMAGE: Supplied