"In some ways the town centre is a bit like a house that is in need of a bit of paint and wallpapering," Cromwell Community Board chairman Neil Gillespie said.
"The future of The Mall [town centre] was being looked at in the late 1990s when I first joined the community board. It [the makeover] is a combination of a whole lot of time and effort by a whole lot of people that brings us to this point."
The board has planned the work in stages to spread the cost over a five-year period and as the costs are high, Mr Gillespie said board members wanted to make sure the community was behind the project and invited submissions to the long-term plan.
This year, $753,805 has been budgeted for landscaping on the northern entrance to the town centre and around the Lode Lane toilet area, as well as preparing design plans and tender documents.
The Lode Lane toilets will be demolished and replaced as a separate project and Mr Gillespie said the work would begin pretty much as soon as temporary toilets could be sourced.
They are intended to be fully constructed by June 30.
In year three of the board's 10-year plan, $1,014,882 has been budgeted for the interior pedestrian area of the mall; in year four $470,724 for the western entrance and in year five, $444,048 for the southern entrance.
Mr Gillespie said while it was exciting to be moving ahead, he urged people to be mindful that this project alone was not the "golden egg".
He said revitalising the area and making it a place that people would want to go "in part comes down to what businesses go there".
"As a community board we can ensure there are good facilities around and enhance the space for the wider community and travelling public to enjoy, but that's not the answer to everything and businesses and community groups will need to think about their part in the equation in revitalising the Mall."
While the Board has provided funding in the long-term plan for the redevelopment, the plans for each stage will need to be considered and approved prior to any further work starting.
The concept plans for the first two stages of work can be viewed at the Cromwell Service Centre.
The public will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed redevelopment during the long-term plan consultation period from April 10 to 10 May 10.
The Cromwell Mall was opened in 1985 after 20 years of discussions triggered by concept plans for the Clyde dam, which eventually flooded part of Cromwell including the old town centre.
In 2008, the Cromwell Community Board produced an action plan which stated the mall was "tired and dated".
In 2010, an Urbanism Plus report presented seven "big moves" for revitalising the town centre including creating a new entrance off State Highway 8, improving the visual connection and creating a vibrant front edge.
